Magnesium sulfate 2 gram/50 ml (4 %) in water intravenous piggyback 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

$76.87

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.

$96.08

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.

$21.41 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $67.63 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 $21.41 ↓ -72%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $22.99 ↓ -70%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $23.22 ↓ -70%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $23.22 ↓ -70%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $23.22 ↓ -70%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $23.22 ↓ -70%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $23.22 ↓ -70%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $23.67 ↓ -69%
Wellmark HMO $37.57 ↓ -51%
Wellmark PPO $39.07 ↓ -49%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $40.26 ↓ -48%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $40.26 ↓ -48%
Security Health Plan Commercial $41.33 ↓ -46%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $47.36 ↓ -38%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $47.36 ↓ -38%
Health Partners State Employees $49.59 ↓ -35%
Health Partners Commercial $56.36 ↓ -27%
Medica Choice $61.99 ↓ -19%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $62.74 ↓ -18%
Aetna Commercial $65.30 ↓ -15%
Ucare Commercial $66.02 ↓ -14%
Medica Elect $66.27 ↓ -14%
Healthez Commercial $67.63 ↓ -12%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $67.63 ↓ -12%
Multiplan Commercial $67.63 ↓ -12%

Visitor-reported prices

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Magnesium sulfate 2 gram/50 ml (4 %) in water intravenous piggyback at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $221.80 not published
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $75.00 $1.00 – $4.25
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $522.50 $0.50 – $13.39
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $237.00 $0.50 – $10.65
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $522.50 $0.50 – $11.90
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $522.50 $0.50 – $15.62
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $75.00 $5.00 – $15.42
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $522.50 $0.50 – $11.90

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →