Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 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

$426.64

Cash price

?

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.

$533.30

Gross charge

?

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.

$23.26 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $73.45 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $23.26 ↓ -95%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $24.97 ↓ -94%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $25.22 ↓ -94%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $25.22 ↓ -94%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $25.22 ↓ -94%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $25.22 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $25.22 ↓ -94%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $25.71 ↓ -94%
Wellmark HMO $40.81 ↓ -90%
Wellmark PPO $42.44 ↓ -90%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $43.73 ↓ -90%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $43.73 ↓ -90%
Security Health Plan Commercial $44.89 ↓ -89%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $51.44 ↓ -88%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $51.44 ↓ -88%
Health Partners State Employees $53.86 ↓ -87%
Health Partners Commercial $61.21 ↓ -86%
Medica Choice $67.33 ↓ -84%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $68.14 ↓ -84%
Aetna Commercial $70.92 ↓ -83%
Ucare Commercial $71.70 ↓ -83%
Medica Elect $71.98 ↓ -83%
Healthez Commercial $73.45 ↓ -83%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $73.45 ↓ -83%
Multiplan Commercial $73.45 ↓ -83%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 ml intravenous solution at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $1,949.30 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $43.00 $15.35 – $43.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $1,080.00 $61.96 – $156.50
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $43.00 $16.25 – $48.40
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,081.00 $12.17 – $43.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $1,080.00 $59.81 – $156.50
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $1,080.00 $36.78 – $156.50
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $1,080.00 $80.55 – $163.57

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →