Methylene blue (antidote) 5 mg/ml intravenous solution 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

$842.40

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.

$1,053.00

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.

$24.62 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $77.74 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 $24.62 ↓ -97%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $26.43 ↓ -97%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $26.69 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $26.69 ↓ -97%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $26.69 ↓ -97%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $26.69 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $26.69 ↓ -97%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $27.21 ↓ -97%
Wellmark HMO $43.19 ↓ -95%
Wellmark PPO $44.92 ↓ -95%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $46.28 ↓ -95%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $46.28 ↓ -95%
Security Health Plan Commercial $47.51 ↓ -94%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $54.45 ↓ -94%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $54.45 ↓ -94%
Health Partners State Employees $57.01 ↓ -93%
Health Partners Commercial $64.79 ↓ -92%
Medica Choice $71.26 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $72.13 ↓ -91%
Aetna Commercial $75.06 ↓ -91%
Ucare Commercial $75.89 ↓ -91%
Medica Elect $76.19 ↓ -91%
Healthez Commercial $77.74 ↓ -91%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $77.74 ↓ -91%
Multiplan Commercial $77.74 ↓ -91%

Visitor-reported prices

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Methylene blue (antidote) 5 mg/ml intravenous solution at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $620.55 $18.19 – $620.55
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $620.55 $234.57 – $698.49
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $234.55 $18.19 – $234.55
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $234.55 $89.65 – $234.55
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $234.55 $18.19 – $234.55
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $620.55 $319.40 – $648.60
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $234.55 $18.19 – $234.55
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $689.85 $18.19 – $234.55

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →