#cf-97variants 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

$305.20

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.

$545.00

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.

$48.99 with ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) vs $345.32 with blue cross blue shield — 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 pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $48.99 ↓ -84%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $89.61 ↓ -71%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $108.19 ↓ -65%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $114.27 ↓ -63%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $124.19 ↓ -59%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $144.35 ↓ -53%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $164.84 ↓ -46%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $167.77 ↓ -45%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $178.44 ↓ -42%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $179.68 ↓ -41%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $186.30 ↓ -39%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $186.30 ↓ -39%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $187.84 ↓ -38%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $196.07 ↓ -36%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $204.54 ↓ -33%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $204.54 ↓ -33%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $226.70 ↓ -26%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $229.70 ↓ -25%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $233.26 ↓ -24%
medicare medicare (b) $238.63 ↓ -22%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $238.63 ↓ -22%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $243.50 ↓ -20%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $243.50 ↓ -20%
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) $243.50 ↓ -20%
medica medica medicare (b) $248.18 ↓ -19%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $250.56 ↓ -18%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $250.81 ↓ -18%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $259.78 ↓ -15%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $270.19 ↓ -11%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $305.60 ↑ +0%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $328.05 ↑ +7%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $345.32 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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#cf-97variants at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $261.60 $72.62 – $513.75
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $305.20 $89.61 – $262.98
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $261.60 $72.62 – $513.75
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $305.20 $89.61 – $262.49
New Ulm Medical Center MN 56073 $329.62 $116.76 – $399.76
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $261.60 $72.62 – $513.75
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $305.20 $89.61 – $262.49
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $305.20 $103.03 – $567.76

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →