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Hand X-ray 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

$346.40

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.

Full explanation →

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

$433.00

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.

$123.41 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $389.70 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 $123.41 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $132.50 ↓ -62%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $133.80 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $133.80 ↓ -61%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $133.80 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $133.80 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $133.80 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $136.40 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $216.50 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $225.16 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $232.00 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $232.00 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $238.15 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $272.92 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $272.92 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $285.78 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $324.75 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $357.23 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $361.56 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $376.28 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $380.43 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $381.91 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $389.70 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $389.70 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $389.70 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Hand X-ray at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $389.88 $7.71 – $143.28
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $109.32 $7.71 – $72.98
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $780.00 $80.14 – $389.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $1,246.00 $5.54 – $623.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $242.40 $84.28 – $118.00
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $404.95 $78.07 – $415.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $305.50 $9.50 – $26.72
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $305.50 $118.31 – $352.31

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →