Sodium chloride 0.9 % intravenous solution 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

$31.16

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.

$55.65

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.

$0.01 with united healthcare (bdohsv) vs $55.65 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
united healthcare (bdohsv) united healthcare (bdosv) $0.01 ↓ -100%
blue cross blue shield bc pmap (b d o s v) $2.51 ↓ -92%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (b d o s v) $2.84 ↓ -91%
blue cross blue shield bc aehp (b d o s v) $3.34 ↓ -89%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (bdosv) $3.58 ↓ -89%
blue cross blue shield bc aware/blue plus (b d o s v) $3.78 ↓ -88%
blue cross blue shield bc state health plan (b d o s v) $3.78 ↓ -88%
blue cross allina health blueprint (bdoshv) $4.26 ↓ -86%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $11.20 ↓ -64%
aetna aetna elevate (bdosv) $24.73 ↓ -21%
aetna aetna performance (bdosv) $26.12 ↓ -16%
medica health system medica dual solutions (b d v o s) $28.38 ↓ -9%
aetna direct/indirect regional network aetna direct/indirect regional (bdosv) $32.99 ↑ +6%
healthpartners hpi (bdov) $37.67 ↑ +21%
medica health system medica elect (b d o s v) $39.91 ↑ +28%
health partners hpi cigna (bdov) $41.06 ↑ +32%
medica mhps medica mhps (bdosv) $41.67 ↑ +34%
medica medica essentials (b d o s v) $41.67 ↑ +34%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $42.93 ↑ +38%
medica health system medica choice (b d o s v) $43.86 ↑ +41%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $46.75 ↑ +50%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $46.75 ↑ +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) $55.65 ↑ +79%

Visitor-reported prices

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Sodium chloride 0.9 % intravenous solution at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $86.40 $26.15 – $97.20
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $80.00 $24.21 – $90.00
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $14.00 $4.24 – $15.75
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $40.00 $12.11 – $45.00
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $70.79 $21.42 – $79.63
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $27.00 $1.02 – $15.75
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $75.59 $1.00 – $85.03
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $80.00 $24.21 – $90.00

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →