Abdominal CT scan (without contrast) at Buffalo Hospital

303 Catlin St, Buffalo, MN · Allinahealth · · NPI 1538123567

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jun 16, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$912.46

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.

$1,629.40

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.

$99.61 with all other medicaid vs $1,364.00 with united healthcare (bdohsv) — 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
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $99.61 ↓ -89%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $99.61 ↓ -89%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $102.36 ↓ -89%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $102.60 ↓ -89%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $107.75 ↓ -88%
medicare medicare (b) $107.75 ↓ -88%
medica medica medicare (b) $112.06 ↓ -88%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $113.14 ↓ -88%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $149.18 ↓ -84%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $250.92 ↓ -73%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $266.23 ↓ -71%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $306.23 ↓ -66%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $310.96 ↓ -66%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $346.28 ↓ -62%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $362.87 ↓ -60%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $407.37 ↓ -55%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $437.28 ↓ -52%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $460.31 ↓ -50%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $554.09 ↓ -39%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $574.00 ↓ -37%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $585.26 ↓ -36%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $650.50 ↓ -29%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $709.05 ↓ -22%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $739.28 ↓ -19%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $962.01 ↑ +5%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $991.90 ↑ +9%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $1,035.63 ↑ +13%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $1,035.63 ↑ +13%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $1,047.56 ↑ +15%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $1,047.56 ↑ +15%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $1,090.00 ↑ +19%
all other contracted care (a b c d e g h n o r s u) all other contracted care (a b c d m h n o r s u v) $1,247.10 ↑ +37%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $1,364.00 ↑ +49%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal CT scan (without contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $2,130.40 $111.66 – $2,396.70
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $2,240.00 $111.66 – $2,520.00
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $1,928.80 $111.66 – $2,169.90
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $1,972.00 $111.66 – $2,218.50
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $1,968.80 $111.66 – $2,214.90
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $1,928.80 $79.32 – $2,169.90
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $2,472.80 $81.04 – $2,781.90
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $2,240.00 $111.66 – $2,520.00

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →