Fmri brain by tech 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

$1,898.57

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.

$3,390.30

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.

$227.33 with medicaid vs $5,561.34 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
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $227.33 ↓ -88%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $227.33 ↓ -88%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $233.60 ↓ -88%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $234.15 ↓ -88%
medicare medicare (b) $245.90 ↓ -87%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $245.90 ↓ -87%
medica medica medicare (b) $255.74 ↓ -87%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $258.19 ↓ -86%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $605.14 ↓ -68%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $682.13 ↓ -64%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $796.00 ↓ -58%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $816.44 ↓ -57%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $889.92 ↓ -53%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $1,157.52 ↓ -39%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $1,208.55 ↓ -36%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $1,208.55 ↓ -36%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $1,272.00 ↓ -33%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $1,506.31 ↓ -21%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $1,591.07 ↓ -16%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $1,802.35 ↓ -5%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $2,009.77 ↑ +6%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $2,330.00 ↑ +23%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $2,615.28 ↑ +38%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $2,705.46 ↑ +42%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $2,847.85 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $2,847.85 ↑ +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) $3,390.30 ↑ +79%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $3,699.86 ↑ +95%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $3,756.98 ↑ +98%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $4,183.69 ↑ +120%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $4,921.85 ↑ +159%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $5,283.18 ↑ +178%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $5,561.34 ↑ +193%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Fmri brain by tech at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $2,189.04 $220.12 – $3,229.03
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $1,898.57 $227.33 – $4,183.69
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $2,189.04 $220.12 – $1,474.00
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $1,898.57 $227.33 – $4,183.69
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $2,189.04 $220.12 – $1,474.00
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $1,898.57 $227.33 – $4,183.69
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $1,898.57 $227.33 – $7,402.23
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby not published $253.81 – $578.05

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →