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Brain MRI (with contrast) at Sanford Bagley Medical Center

203 4th Street NW, Bagley, MN · Sanford Health · · NPI 1932472255

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$3,405.60

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.

$4,257.00

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.

$374.99 with Ucare vs $4,001.58 with Medica — 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
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $374.99 ↓ -89%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $607.75 ↓ -82%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $1,215.50 ↓ -64%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,941.19 ↓ -43%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $2,085.93 ↓ -39%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $2,102.96 ↓ -38%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $2,102.96 ↓ -38%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $2,102.96 ↓ -38%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $2,102.96 ↓ -38%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $2,145.53 ↓ -37%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $2,281.75 ↓ -33%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $2,294.52 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2,341.35 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $3,360.48 ↓ -1%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $3,360.48 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $3,448.17 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $3,554.60 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $3,699.33 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $3,740.20 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $3,741.90 ↑ +10%
Cigna Commercial $3,831.30 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $3,831.30 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $3,831.30 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $3,831.30 ↑ +13%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $3,953.48 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $3,953.48 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $4,001.58 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (with contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $3,189.60 $374.99 – $3,588.30
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $3,208.80 $374.99 – $3,609.90
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $3,168.00 $374.99 – $3,564.00
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $3,405.60 $277.45 – $3,831.30
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $3,362.40 $283.44 – $3,782.70
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $3,116.00 $374.99 – $3,505.50
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $3,116.00 $374.99 – $3,505.50
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook not published $374.99 – $607.75

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →