EKG (Tracing Only) 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

$172.31

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.

$307.70

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.

$51.55 with blue cross blue shield vs $379.00 with united healthcare (bdohsv) — 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
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $51.55 ↓ -70%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $56.21 ↓ -67%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $56.21 ↓ -67%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $57.76 ↓ -66%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $57.90 ↓ -66%
medicare medicare (b) $60.80 ↓ -65%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $60.80 ↓ -65%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $61.91 ↓ -64%
medica medica medicare (b) $63.23 ↓ -63%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $63.84 ↓ -63%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $132.13 ↓ -23%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $134.18 ↓ -22%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $136.71 ↓ -21%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $144.40 ↓ -16%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $148.70 ↓ -14%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $149.44 ↓ -13%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $156.93 ↓ -9%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $175.80 ↑ +2%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $182.40 ↑ +6%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $188.72 ↑ +10%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $198.64 ↑ +15%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $208.30 ↑ +21%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $225.48 ↑ +31%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $227.05 ↑ +32%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $235.42 ↑ +37%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $235.42 ↑ +37%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $237.36 ↑ +38%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $245.54 ↑ +42%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $247.76 ↑ +44%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $258.47 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $258.47 ↑ +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) $307.70 ↑ +79%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $379.00 ↑ +120%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

EKG (Tracing Only) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $265.60 $62.37 – $298.80
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $278.40 $62.37 – $313.20
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $260.80 $62.37 – $293.40
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $224.80 $62.37 – $252.90
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $180.80 $62.37 – $203.40
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $260.80 $44.13 – $293.40
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $123.20 $45.08 – $138.60
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $278.40 $62.37 – $313.20

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →