Carotid Artery Ultrasound (Duplex) at Buffalo Hospital
303 Catlin St, Buffalo, MN · Allinahealth · · NPI 1538123567
$954.58
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.
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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.
$1,704.60
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.
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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.
$128.03 with blue cross blue shield vs $1,420.30 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 →
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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 ?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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| blue cross blue shield | bc pmap (b d o s v) | $128.03 | ↓ -87% |
| all other medicaid | all other medicaid (b) | $227.33 | ↓ -76% |
| medicaid | medicaid ma (b) | $227.33 | ↓ -76% |
| allina aetna medicare (b) | allina aetna medicare (b) | $233.60 | ↓ -76% |
| south country health alliance | scha pmap (b) | $234.15 | ↓ -75% |
| medicare other | all other medicare (b) | $245.90 | ↓ -74% |
| medicare | medicare (b) | $245.90 | ↓ -74% |
| medica | medica medicare (b) | $255.74 | ↓ -73% |
| bcbs | bc medicare (b) | $258.19 | ↓ -73% |
| ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) | ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) | $285.76 | ↓ -70% |
| blue cross | allina health blueprint (bdoshv) | $328.15 | ↓ -66% |
| blue cross blue shield | bc state health plan (b d o s v) | $333.24 | ↓ -65% |
| blue cross blue shield of minnesota | bc premier (b d o s v) | $371.13 | ↓ -61% |
| blue cross blue shield | bc aehp (b d o s v) | $436.59 | ↓ -54% |
| blue cross blue shield of minnesota | bc high value/performance network (bdosv) | $468.66 | ↓ -51% |
| blue cross blue shield | bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) | $493.32 | ↓ -48% |
| health partners | hpi cigna (mu) | $605.14 | ↓ -37% |
| aetna | aetna elevate (bdosv) | $631.04 | ↓ -34% |
| aetna | aetna performance (bdosv) | $666.55 | ↓ -30% |
| medica health system | medica dual solutions (b d v o s) | $724.35 | ↓ -24% |
| aetna direct/indirect regional network | aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) | $841.95 | ↓ -12% |
| united healthcare (bdohsv) | united healthcare (bdosv) | $909.00 | ↓ -5% |
| healthpartners | hpi (bdov) | $961.50 | ↑ +1% |
| medica health system | medica elect (b d o s v) | $1,040.80 | ↑ +9% |
| health partners | hpi cigna (bdov) | $1,048.04 | ↑ +10% |
| medica | medica essentials (b d o s v) | $1,086.67 | ↑ +14% |
| medica mhps | medica mhps (bdosv) | $1,086.67 | ↑ +14% |
| americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) | americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) | $1,095.62 | ↑ +15% |
| medica ub health (b) | medica ub health (b) | $1,133.40 | ↑ +19% |
| medica health system | medica choice (b d o s v) | $1,143.63 | ↑ +20% |
| first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) | first health (abdmnosurv) | $1,193.05 | ↑ +25% |
| americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) | americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) | $1,193.05 | ↑ +25% |
| 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) | $1,420.30 | ↑ +49% |
Visitor-reported prices
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Carotid Artery Ultrasound (Duplex) at other Minnesota hospitals
| Hospital | City | Cash price | Negotiated range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford Canby Medical Center | Canby | $1,212.00 | $253.81 – $1,363.50 |
| Sanford Westbrook Hospital | Westbrook | $1,245.60 | $253.81 – $1,401.30 |
| Sanford Bagley Medical Center | Bagley | $1,036.00 | $253.81 – $1,165.50 |
| Sanford Wheaton | Wheaton | $1,078.40 | $253.81 – $1,213.20 |
| Sanford Luverne Medical Center | Luverne | $1,244.80 | $253.81 – $1,400.40 |
| Sanford Bemidji Medical Center | Bemidji | $1,036.00 | $176.78 – $1,165.50 |
| Sanford Worthington Medical Center | Worthington | $1,120.80 | $180.60 – $1,260.90 |
| Sanford Tracy Hospital | Tracy | $1,245.60 | $253.81 – $1,401.30 |