Dobutamine 250 mg/20 ml (12.5 mg/ml) intravenous solution at Sanford Sheldon Medical Center

118 N 7th Ave, Sheldon, IA · Sanford Health · · NPI 1841200623

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$145.91

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$182.38

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$22.66 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $71.55 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $22.66 ↓ -84%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $24.33 ↓ -83%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $24.57 ↓ -83%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $24.57 ↓ -83%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $24.57 ↓ -83%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $24.57 ↓ -83%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $24.57 ↓ -83%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $25.04 ↓ -83%
Wellmark HMO $39.75 ↓ -73%
Wellmark PPO $41.34 ↓ -72%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $42.60 ↓ -71%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $42.60 ↓ -71%
Security Health Plan Commercial $43.73 ↓ -70%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $50.11 ↓ -66%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $50.11 ↓ -66%
Health Partners State Employees $52.47 ↓ -64%
Health Partners Commercial $59.63 ↓ -59%
Medica Choice $65.59 ↓ -55%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $66.38 ↓ -55%
Aetna Commercial $69.09 ↓ -53%
Ucare Commercial $69.85 ↓ -52%
Medica Elect $70.12 ↓ -52%
Healthez Commercial $71.55 ↓ -51%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $71.55 ↓ -51%
Multiplan Commercial $71.55 ↓ -51%

Visitor-reported prices

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Dobutamine 250 mg/20 ml (12.5 mg/ml) intravenous solution at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $52.51 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $183.75 $7.98 – $38.30
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $103.75 $7.98 – $103.75
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $183.75 $7.98 – $43.11
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $183.75 $7.98 – $35.10
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $183.75 $7.98 – $42.70
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $42.70 $7.98 – $42.70
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $35.10 $7.98 – $36.69

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →