Fetal non stress test 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

$547.20

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.

$684.00

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.

$194.94 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $615.60 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 $194.94 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $209.30 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $211.36 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $211.36 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $211.36 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $211.36 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $211.36 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $215.46 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $342.00 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $355.68 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $366.49 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $366.49 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $376.20 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $431.13 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $431.13 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $451.44 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $513.00 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $564.30 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $571.14 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $594.40 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $600.96 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $603.29 ↑ +10%
Healthez Commercial $615.60 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $615.60 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $615.60 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Fetal non stress test at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $358.20 $192.56 – $269.59
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $185.90 $102.10 – $403.96
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $806.00 $3.95 – $522.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $1,078.25 $7.90 – $887.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $336.70 $191.37 – $518.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $3,712.30 $7.90 – $513.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $376.20 $192.56 – $269.59
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $376.20 $88.33 – $213.18

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →