Hepatobiliary system imaging 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

$1,784.00

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.

$2,230.00

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.

$635.55 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $2,007.00 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 $635.55 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $682.38 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $689.07 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $689.07 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $689.07 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $689.07 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $689.07 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $702.45 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $1,115.00 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $1,159.60 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $1,194.83 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $1,194.83 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $1,226.50 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $1,405.57 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $1,405.57 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $1,471.80 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $1,672.50 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $1,839.75 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $1,862.05 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $1,937.87 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $1,959.28 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $1,966.86 ↑ +10%
Healthez Commercial $2,007.00 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $2,007.00 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $2,007.00 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Hepatobiliary system imaging at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $703.20 $384.64 – $538.50
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $1,522.95 $358.66 – $2,343.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,935.70 $368.14 – $2,978.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $2,567.00 $377.34 – $2,567.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $1,668.55 $377.34 – $2,567.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $1,046.50 $378.41 – $1,610.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $1,222.65 $386.82 – $1,881.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $768.00 $384.64 – $538.50

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →