healthcosts.net

Brain MRI (with contrast) at Sanford Canby Medical Center

112 St Olaf Ave S, Canby, MN · Sanford Health · · NPI 1780781054

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$3,189.60

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.

Full explanation →

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

$3,987.00

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.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$374.99 with Ucare vs $3,747.78 with Medica — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $374.99 ↓ -88%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $607.75 ↓ -81%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $1,215.50 ↓ -62%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $1,215.50 ↓ -62%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,818.07 ↓ -43%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $1,953.63 ↓ -39%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $1,969.58 ↓ -38%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $1,969.58 ↓ -38%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $1,969.58 ↓ -38%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $1,969.58 ↓ -38%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $1,969.58 ↓ -38%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $2,009.45 ↓ -37%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $2,192.85 ↓ -31%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2,192.85 ↓ -31%
Health Partners State Employees $2,747.04 ↓ -14%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $3,147.34 ↓ -1%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $3,147.34 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $3,189.60 ↑ +0%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $3,329.15 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $3,464.70 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $3,502.98 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $3,504.57 ↑ +10%
Cigna Commercial $3,588.30 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $3,588.30 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $3,588.30 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $3,588.30 ↑ +13%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $3,702.73 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $3,702.73 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $3,747.78 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brain MRI (with contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $3,405.60 $374.99 – $3,831.30
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $3,208.80 $374.99 – $3,609.90
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $3,168.00 $374.99 – $3,564.00
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $3,405.60 $277.45 – $3,831.30
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $3,362.40 $283.44 – $3,782.70
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $3,116.00 $374.99 – $3,505.50
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $3,116.00 $374.99 – $3,505.50
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook not published $374.99 – $607.75

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →