Elbow X-ray (2 views, both sides) 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

$208.99

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.

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

$373.20

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.

$37.54 with ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) vs $336.00 with united healthcare (bdohsv) — 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) $37.54 ↓ -82%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $69.64 ↓ -67%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $82.91 ↓ -60%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $82.91 ↓ -60%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $82.91 ↓ -60%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $85.21 ↓ -59%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $85.40 ↓ -59%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $87.57 ↓ -58%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $89.69 ↓ -57%
medicare medicare (b) $89.69 ↓ -57%
medica medica medicare (b) $93.28 ↓ -55%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $94.17 ↓ -55%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $110.62 ↓ -47%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $126.32 ↓ -40%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $137.69 ↓ -34%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $143.94 ↓ -31%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $148.91 ↓ -29%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $156.74 ↓ -25%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $156.74 ↓ -25%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $164.00 ↓ -22%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $178.48 ↓ -15%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $181.25 ↓ -13%
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) $186.60 ↓ -11%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $201.86 ↓ -3%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $220.43 ↑ +5%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $237.47 ↑ +14%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $254.91 ↑ +22%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $268.32 ↑ +28%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $283.92 ↑ +36%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $296.43 ↑ +42%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $296.43 ↑ +42%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $312.00 ↑ +49%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $336.00 ↑ +61%

Visitor-reported prices

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Elbow X-ray (2 views, both sides) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $329.60 $92.45 – $370.80
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $372.00 $92.45 – $418.50
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $388.80 $92.45 – $437.40
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $280.80 $84.98 – $315.90
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $184.00 $55.68 – $207.00
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $388.80 $65.56 – $437.40
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $251.20 $66.97 – $282.60
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $372.00 $92.45 – $418.50

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →