Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) 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

$1,753.47

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.

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

$3,131.20

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.

$630.00 with ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) vs $8,936.00 with united healthcare (bdohsv) — 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) $630.00 ↓ -64%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $1,391.19 ↓ -21%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $1,401.23 ↓ -20%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $1,469.47 ↓ -16%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $1,856.18 ↑ +6%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (b) $1,991.62 ↑ +14%
medicaid medicaid ma (b) $1,991.62 ↑ +14%
allina aetna medicare (b) allina aetna medicare (b) $2,046.60 ↑ +17%
south country health alliance scha pmap (b) $2,051.37 ↑ +17%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $2,119.73 ↑ +21%
medicare other all other medicare (b) $2,154.32 ↑ +23%
medicare medicare (b) $2,154.32 ↑ +23%
medica medica medicare (b) $2,240.49 ↑ +28%
bcbs bc medicare (b) $2,262.04 ↑ +29%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $2,310.50 ↑ +32%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $2,415.41 ↑ +38%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $2,618.00 ↑ +49%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $2,630.21 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $2,630.21 ↑ +50%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $2,876.42 ↑ +64%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $2,920.83 ↑ +67%
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) $3,131.20 ↑ +79%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $3,252.57 ↑ +85%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $3,826.44 ↑ +118%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $4,107.36 ↑ +134%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $4,323.61 ↑ +147%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $5,128.55 ↑ +192%
medica ub health (b) medica ub health (b) $5,559.00 ↑ +217%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $5,726.63 ↑ +227%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $5,979.10 ↑ +241%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $5,979.10 ↑ +241%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $6,293.00 ↑ +259%
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $8,936.00 ↑ +410%

Visitor-reported prices

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Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $5,042.40 $1,469.43 – $5,672.70
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $2,736.86 $975.62 – $4,845.00
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $1,753.47 $1,401.23 – $5,979.10
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $2,736.86 $975.62 – $5,128.55
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $1,753.47 $1,401.23 – $5,979.10
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $2,736.86 $975.62 – $4,845.00
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge $1,753.47 $1,401.23 – $5,979.10
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls $1,753.47 $1,324.88 – $5,754.79

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →