Arm CT Scan (without contrast, both arms) 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

$1,368.81

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.

$2,444.30

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 $2,444.30 with all other contracted care (a b c d e g h n o r s u) — 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 ↓ -93%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $99.61 ↓ -93%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $102.36 ↓ -93%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $102.60 ↓ -93%
medicare medicare (b) $107.75 ↓ -92%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $107.75 ↓ -92%
medica medica medicare (b) $112.06 ↓ -92%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $113.14 ↓ -92%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $178.52 ↓ -87%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $266.23 ↓ -81%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $366.46 ↓ -73%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $372.12 ↓ -73%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $414.39 ↓ -70%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $442.91 ↓ -68%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $487.50 ↓ -64%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $491.79 ↓ -64%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $523.29 ↓ -62%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $550.84 ↓ -60%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $574.00 ↓ -58%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $650.50 ↓ -52%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $709.05 ↓ -48%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $991.90 ↓ -28%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $1,035.63 ↓ -24%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $1,035.63 ↓ -24%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $1,086.00 ↓ -21%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $1,090.00 ↓ -20%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $1,147.11 ↓ -16%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $1,364.00 ↓ -0%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $1,448.98 ↑ +6%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $1,885.53 ↑ +38%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $2,053.21 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $2,053.21 ↑ +50%
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) $2,444.30 ↑ +79%

Visitor-reported prices

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Arm CT Scan (without contrast, both arms) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $1,944.80 $111.66 – $2,187.90
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $2,307.20 $111.66 – $2,595.60
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $1,744.80 $111.66 – $1,962.90
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $1,801.60 $111.66 – $2,026.80
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $2,227.20 $111.66 – $2,505.60
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $1,744.80 $79.32 – $1,962.90
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $1,750.40 $81.04 – $1,969.20
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $2,307.20 $111.66 – $2,595.60

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →