N-invas est c ffr sw aly cta 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

$2,063.88

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.

$3,685.50

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.

$574.00 with medica health system vs $3,685.50 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
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $574.00 ↓ -72%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $741.52 ↓ -64%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $818.17 ↓ -60%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $818.17 ↓ -60%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $840.76 ↓ -59%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $842.72 ↓ -59%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $857.67 ↓ -58%
medicare medicare (b) $885.01 ↓ -57%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $885.01 ↓ -57%
medica medica medicare (b) $920.41 ↓ -55%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $929.26 ↓ -55%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $991.90 ↓ -52%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $1,035.63 ↓ -50%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $1,035.63 ↓ -50%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $1,090.00 ↓ -47%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $1,168.30 ↓ -43%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $1,216.95 ↓ -41%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $1,264.74 ↓ -39%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $1,364.00 ↓ -34%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $1,431.45 ↓ -31%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $1,536.85 ↓ -26%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $1,617.57 ↓ -22%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $1,637.47 ↓ -21%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $1,729.61 ↓ -16%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $2,184.76 ↑ +6%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $2,494.97 ↑ +21%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $2,547.02 ↑ +23%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $2,719.52 ↑ +32%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $2,842.99 ↑ +38%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $3,095.82 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $3,095.82 ↑ +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) $3,685.50 ↑ +79%

Visitor-reported prices

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N-invas est c ffr sw aly cta at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $3,630.10 $818.17 – $1,022.71
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $2,063.88 $818.17 – $2,719.52
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $3,630.10 $818.17 – $2,547.02
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $2,063.88 $818.17 – $2,719.52
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $3,630.10 $818.17 – $1,022.71
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $2,063.88 $818.17 – $2,547.02
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $2,063.88 $500.00 – $1,715.34
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby not published $1,068.26 – $1,068.26

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →