MRA chest w IV cont 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

$1,923.10

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.

$3,434.10

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.

$341.56 with allina aetna medicare (b) vs $3,434.10 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
?

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
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $341.56 ↓ -82%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $350.73 ↓ -82%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $350.73 ↓ -82%
medicare medicare (b) $359.54 ↓ -81%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $359.54 ↓ -81%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $361.25 ↓ -81%
medica medica medicare (b) $373.92 ↓ -81%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $377.52 ↓ -80%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $690.94 ↓ -64%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $796.00 ↓ -59%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $816.44 ↓ -58%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $889.92 ↓ -54%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $894.08 ↓ -54%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $901.19 ↓ -53%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $1,157.52 ↓ -40%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $1,208.55 ↓ -37%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $1,208.55 ↓ -37%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $1,272.00 ↓ -34%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $1,525.77 ↓ -21%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $1,611.62 ↓ -16%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $1,849.97 ↓ -4%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $1,878.54 ↓ -2%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $2,035.73 ↑ +6%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $2,091.89 ↑ +9%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $2,330.00 ↑ +21%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $2,460.97 ↑ +28%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $2,641.64 ↑ +37%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $2,649.06 ↑ +38%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $2,780.73 ↑ +45%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $2,884.64 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $2,884.64 ↑ +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) $3,434.10 ↑ +79%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

MRA chest w IV cont at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $1,094.50 $325.21 – $1,614.55
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $1,923.10 $341.56 – $2,091.89
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $1,094.50 $325.21 – $1,474.00
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $1,923.10 $341.56 – $2,091.89
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $1,094.50 $325.21 – $1,474.00
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $1,923.10 $341.56 – $2,091.89
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $1,923.10 $341.56 – $3,701.19
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby not published $374.99 – $374.99

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →