Myelography neck spine 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

$203.17

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.

$362.80

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.

$73.00 with ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) vs $1,977.90 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
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $73.00 ↓ -64%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $161.19 ↓ -21%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $164.00 ↓ -19%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $170.26 ↓ -16%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $215.07 ↑ +6%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $245.60 ↑ +21%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $267.71 ↑ +32%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $279.86 ↑ +38%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $283.92 ↑ +40%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $289.51 ↑ +42%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $296.43 ↑ +46%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $296.43 ↑ +46%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $304.75 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $304.75 ↑ +50%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $305.08 ↑ +50%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $312.00 ↑ +54%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $336.00 ↑ +65%
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) $362.80 ↑ +79%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $746.88 ↑ +268%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $746.88 ↑ +268%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $767.50 ↑ +278%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $769.29 ↑ +279%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $781.95 ↑ +285%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $794.09 ↑ +291%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $807.89 ↑ +298%
medicare medicare (b) $807.89 ↑ +298%
medica medica medicare (b) $840.21 ↑ +314%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $848.28 ↑ +318%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $884.37 ↑ +335%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $1,040.36 ↑ +412%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $1,116.77 ↑ +450%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $1,175.55 ↑ +479%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $1,977.90 ↑ +874%

Visitor-reported prices

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Myelography neck spine at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $277.34 $180.00 – $933.60
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $203.17 $164.00 – $884.37
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $277.34 $180.00 – $1,977.90
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $203.17 $164.00 – $884.37
New Ulm Medical Center MN 56073 $343.56 $268.55 – $1,360.90
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $277.34 $180.00 – $933.60
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $203.17 $164.00 – $884.37
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $203.17 $153.50 – $1,932.82

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →