Biopsy abdominal mass 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

$1,149.23

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.

$2,052.20

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.

$199.00 with united healthcare (bdohsv) vs $4,056.36 with health partners — 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
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $199.00 ↓ -83%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $258.62 ↓ -77%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $571.10 ↓ -50%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $603.24 ↓ -48%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $622.18 ↓ -46%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $655.55 ↓ -43%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $761.99 ↓ -34%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $870.18 ↓ -24%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $941.94 ↓ -18%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $948.49 ↓ -17%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $983.46 ↓ -14%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $983.46 ↓ -14%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $991.56 ↓ -14%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $1,025.75 ↓ -11%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $1,035.00 ↓ -10%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $1,079.74 ↓ -6%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $1,079.74 ↓ -6%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $1,277.20 ↑ +11%
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) $1,285.40 ↑ +12%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $1,296.92 ↑ +13%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $1,444.23 ↑ +26%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $1,573.57 ↑ +37%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $1,573.57 ↑ +37%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $1,617.00 ↑ +41%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $1,620.78 ↑ +41%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $1,699.04 ↑ +48%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $1,702.11 ↑ +48%
medicare medicare (b) $1,702.11 ↑ +48%
medica medica medicare (b) $1,770.19 ↑ +54%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $1,787.22 ↑ +56%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $1,823.78 ↑ +59%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $1,919.80 ↑ +67%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $4,056.36 ↑ +253%

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy abdominal mass at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $2,482.40 $1,169.64 – $2,792.70
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $939.20 $455.16 – $1,669.61
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $2,232.00 $958.37 – $2,511.00
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $2,232.00 $958.37 – $2,511.00
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $1,416.91 $433.20 – $3,895.00
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $1,149.23 $622.18 – $4,275.53
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $1,416.91 $433.20 – $4,056.36
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $1,149.23 $622.18 – $4,275.53

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →