Lvad shower bag heartmate 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

$958.16

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.

$1,711.00

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.

$0.01 with united healthcare (bdohsv) vs $1,301.47 with health partners — 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
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $0.01 ↓ -100%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $235.99 ↓ -75%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $351.06 ↓ -63%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $521.12 ↓ -46%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $550.44 ↓ -43%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $587.84 ↓ -39%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $598.18 ↓ -38%
medicare medicare (b) $618.78 ↓ -35%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $618.78 ↓ -35%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $628.27 ↓ -34%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $628.27 ↓ -34%
medica medica medicare (b) $643.53 ↓ -33%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $647.12 ↓ -32%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $649.72 ↓ -32%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $695.30 ↓ -27%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $720.64 ↓ -25%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $731.77 ↓ -24%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $794.02 ↓ -17%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $814.88 ↓ -15%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $859.50 ↓ -10%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $865.48 ↓ -10%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $897.39 ↓ -6%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $897.39 ↓ -6%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $904.78 ↓ -6%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $944.42 ↓ -1%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $958.65 ↑ +0%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $985.24 ↑ +3%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $985.24 ↑ +3%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $1,029.02 ↑ +7%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $1,083.21 ↑ +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) $1,172.90 ↑ +22%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $1,301.47 ↑ +36%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lvad shower bag heartmate at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $821.28 $244.42 – $1,083.95
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $958.16 $351.06 – $865.48
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $821.28 $244.42 – $1,301.47
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $958.16 $351.06 – $865.48
New Ulm Medical Center MN 56073 $823.70 $366.25 – $1,015.25
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $821.28 $244.42 – $1,083.95
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $958.16 $351.06 – $865.48
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $958.16 $359.77 – $1,441.77

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →