Protein electrophoretic fractionation & quantitation serum 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

$86.40

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.

$108.00

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.

$28.50 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $90.00 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 $28.50 ↓ -67%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $30.60 ↓ -65%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $30.90 ↓ -64%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $30.90 ↓ -64%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $30.90 ↓ -64%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $30.90 ↓ -64%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $30.90 ↓ -64%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $31.50 ↓ -64%
Wellmark HMO $50.00 ↓ -42%
Wellmark PPO $52.00 ↓ -40%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $53.58 ↓ -38%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $53.58 ↓ -38%
Security Health Plan Commercial $55.00 ↓ -36%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $63.03 ↓ -27%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $63.03 ↓ -27%
Health Partners State Employees $66.00 ↓ -24%
Health Partners Commercial $75.00 ↓ -13%
Medica Choice $82.50 ↓ -5%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $83.50 ↓ -3%
Aetna Commercial $86.90 ↑ +1%
Ucare Commercial $87.86 ↑ +2%
Medica Elect $88.20 ↑ +2%
Healthez Commercial $90.00 ↑ +4%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $90.00 ↑ +4%
Multiplan Commercial $90.00 ↑ +4%

Visitor-reported prices

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Protein electrophoretic fractionation & quantitation serum at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $155.40 $10.74 – $10.74
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $138.45 $8.59 – $213.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $74.75 $45.53 – $115.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $74.75 $43.47 – $129.44
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $83.20 $10.40 – $128.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $74.75 $43.95 – $115.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $138.45 $10.40 – $213.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $74.75 $59.19 – $120.20

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →