Cytopath smear oth prep screen & interp 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

$26.94

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.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$48.10

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.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$9.68 with ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) vs $169.16 with blue cross blue shield — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $9.68 ↓ -64%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $21.37 ↓ -21%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $22.57 ↓ -16%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $24.53 ↓ -9%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $28.32 ↑ +5%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $28.51 ↑ +6%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $29.81 ↑ +11%
medicare medicare (b) $29.81 ↑ +11%
medica medica medicare (b) $31.00 ↑ +15%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $31.30 ↑ +16%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $32.56 ↑ +21%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $33.14 ↑ +23%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $35.25 ↑ +31%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $35.49 ↑ +32%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $36.80 ↑ +37%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $36.80 ↑ +37%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $37.10 ↑ +38%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $38.38 ↑ +42%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $38.73 ↑ +44%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $40.40 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $40.40 ↑ +50%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $43.91 ↑ +63%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $48.10 ↑ +79%
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) $48.10 ↑ +79%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $48.10 ↑ +79%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $49.54 ↑ +84%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $61.32 ↑ +128%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $112.52 ↑ +318%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $114.27 ↑ +324%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $127.26 ↑ +372%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $149.71 ↑ +456%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $160.70 ↑ +497%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $169.16 ↑ +528%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Cytopath smear oth prep screen & interp at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $130.40 $39.46 – $146.70
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $130.40 $39.46 – $146.70
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $144.80 $62.17 – $162.90
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $144.80 $62.17 – $162.90
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $35.57 $22.31 – $101.00
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $26.94 $28.32 – $127.26
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $35.57 $22.31 – $74.94
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $26.94 $28.32 – $127.26

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →