Shoulder MRI (with contrast) at Buffalo Hospital
303 Catlin St, Buffalo, MN · Allinahealth · · NPI 1538123567
$3,234.06
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.
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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.
$5,775.10
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.
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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.
$532.95 with blue cross blue shield vs $5,775.10 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
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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 →
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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 ?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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| blue cross blue shield | bc pmap (b d o s v) | $532.95 | ↓ -84% |
| medicaid | medicaid ma (b) | $746.88 | ↓ -77% |
| all other medicaid | all other medicaid (b) | $746.88 | ↓ -77% |
| allina aetna medicare (b) | allina aetna medicare (b) | $767.50 | ↓ -76% |
| south country health alliance | scha pmap (b) | $769.29 | ↓ -76% |
| medica health system | medica dual solutions (b d v o s) | $796.00 | ↓ -75% |
| medicare other | all other medicare (b) | $807.89 | ↓ -75% |
| medicare | medicare (b) | $807.89 | ↓ -75% |
| healthpartners | hpi (bdov) | $816.44 | ↓ -75% |
| medica | medica medicare (b) | $840.21 | ↓ -74% |
| bcbs | bc medicare (b) | $848.28 | ↓ -74% |
| health partners | hpi cigna (bdov) | $889.92 | ↓ -72% |
| blue cross | allina health blueprint (bdoshv) | $1,094.05 | ↓ -66% |
| blue cross blue shield | bc state health plan (b d o s v) | $1,110.94 | ↓ -66% |
| medica health system | medica elect (b d o s v) | $1,157.52 | ↓ -64% |
| ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) | ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) | $1,161.95 | ↓ -64% |
| medica mhps | medica mhps (bdosv) | $1,208.55 | ↓ -63% |
| medica | medica essentials (b d o s v) | $1,208.55 | ↓ -63% |
| blue cross blue shield of minnesota | bc premier (b d o s v) | $1,237.12 | ↓ -62% |
| medica health system | medica choice (b d o s v) | $1,272.00 | ↓ -61% |
| blue cross blue shield | bc aehp (b d o s v) | $1,455.39 | ↓ -55% |
| blue cross blue shield of minnesota | bc high value/performance network (bdosv) | $1,562.24 | ↓ -52% |
| blue cross blue shield | bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) | $1,644.50 | ↓ -49% |
| health partners | hpi cigna (mu) | $1,977.90 | ↓ -39% |
| united healthcare (bdohsv) | united healthcare (bdosv) | $2,330.00 | ↓ -28% |
| aetna | aetna elevate (bdosv) | $2,565.88 | ↓ -21% |
| aetna | aetna performance (bdosv) | $2,710.25 | ↓ -16% |
| aetna direct/indirect regional network | aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) | $3,423.48 | ↑ +6% |
| americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) | americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) | $4,454.91 | ↑ +38% |
| first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) | first health (abdmnosurv) | $4,851.08 | ↑ +50% |
| americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) | americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) | $4,851.08 | ↑ +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) | $5,775.10 | ↑ +79% |
Visitor-reported prices
Comments
Shoulder MRI (with contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals
| Hospital | City | Cash price | Negotiated range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford Westbrook Hospital | Westbrook | $3,704.80 | $611.05 – $4,167.90 |
| Sanford Bagley Medical Center | Bagley | $3,234.40 | $611.05 – $3,638.70 |
| Sanford Wheaton | Wheaton | $3,300.00 | $611.05 – $3,712.50 |
| Sanford Bemidji Medical Center | Bemidji | $3,234.40 | $577.63 – $3,638.70 |
| Sanford Worthington Medical Center | Worthington | $3,330.40 | $590.11 – $3,746.70 |
| Sanford Tracy Hospital | Tracy | $3,704.80 | $611.05 – $4,167.90 |
| Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center | Thief River Falls | $3,169.60 | $611.05 – $3,565.80 |
| Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls | Thief River Falls | $3,169.60 | $611.05 – $3,565.80 |