Frozen blood thaw 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

$642.99

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.

Full explanation →

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

$1,148.20

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.

$166.81 with allina aetna medicare (b) vs $1,148.20 with all other contracted care (a b c d e g h n o r s u) — 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
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $166.81 ↓ -74%
medicare medicare (b) $175.59 ↓ -73%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $175.59 ↓ -73%
medica medica medicare (b) $182.61 ↓ -72%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $184.37 ↓ -71%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $231.02 ↓ -64%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $267.20 ↓ -58%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $363.98 ↓ -43%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $379.14 ↓ -41%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $394.02 ↓ -39%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $429.01 ↓ -33%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $445.96 ↓ -31%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $478.80 ↓ -26%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $503.94 ↓ -22%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $510.15 ↓ -21%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $538.85 ↓ -16%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $585.58 ↓ -9%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $680.65 ↑ +6%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $777.30 ↑ +21%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $791.11 ↑ +23%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $841.40 ↑ +31%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $847.25 ↑ +32%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $878.49 ↑ +37%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $878.49 ↑ +37%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $885.72 ↑ +38%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $924.53 ↑ +44%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $964.49 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $964.49 ↑ +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) $1,148.20 ↑ +79%

Visitor-reported prices

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Frozen blood thaw at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $524.88 $156.05 – $184.37
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $642.99 $166.81 – $847.25
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $524.88 $156.05 – $429.01
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $642.99 $166.81 – $847.25
New Ulm Medical Center MN 56073 $624.62 $166.81 – $912.16
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $524.88 $156.05 – $196.28
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $642.99 $166.81 – $777.30
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $642.99 $166.81 – $532.25

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →