Infectious agent nucleic acid quantification bk virus 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

$103.20

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.

Full explanation →

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

$129.00

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.

$36.77 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $116.10 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 $36.77 ↓ -64%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $39.47 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $39.86 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $39.86 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $39.86 ↓ -61%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $39.86 ↓ -61%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $39.86 ↓ -61%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $40.64 ↓ -61%
Wellmark HMO $64.50 ↓ -38%
Wellmark PPO $67.08 ↓ -35%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $69.12 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $69.12 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $70.95 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $81.31 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $81.31 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $85.14 ↓ -18%
Health Partners Commercial $96.75 ↓ -6%
Medica Choice $106.43 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $107.72 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $112.10 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $113.34 ↑ +10%
Medica Elect $113.78 ↑ +10%
Healthez Commercial $116.10 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $116.10 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $116.10 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Infectious agent nucleic acid quantification bk virus at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $285.60 $42.84 – $42.84
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $168.35 $41.51 – $259.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $231.40 $140.94 – $356.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $231.40 $134.57 – $400.71
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $319.15 $41.51 – $296.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $231.40 $42.84 – $356.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $206.70 $41.51 – $318.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $231.40 $42.84 – $372.09

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →