Sterile water/saline, 10 ml 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

$5.20

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.

$6.49

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.

$1.18 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $4.57 with Medica — 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $1.18 ↓ -77%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $2.22 ↓ -57%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $2.38 ↓ -54%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $2.40 ↓ -54%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $2.40 ↓ -54%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $2.40 ↓ -54%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $2.40 ↓ -54%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $2.40 ↓ -54%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $2.45 ↓ -53%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2.67 ↓ -49%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $2.67 ↓ -49%
Health Partners State Employees $3.35 ↓ -36%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $3.79 ↓ -27%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $3.84 ↓ -26%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $3.84 ↓ -26%
Health Partners Commercial $3.89 ↓ -25%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $3.98 ↓ -23%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $4.06 ↓ -22%
Aetna Commercial $4.22 ↓ -19%
Ucare Commercial $4.27 ↓ -18%
Medica Choice $4.27 ↓ -18%
Multiplan Commercial $4.37 ↓ -16%
Cigna Commercial $4.37 ↓ -16%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $4.37 ↓ -16%
Healthez Commercial $4.37 ↓ -16%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $4.51 ↓ -13%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $4.51 ↓ -13%
Medica Elect $4.57 ↓ -12%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Sterile water/saline, 10 ml at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $5.19 $1.57 – $5.83
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $11.37 $3.42 – $12.71
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $2.40 $0.73 – $2.70
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $5.09 $1.20 – $4.46
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $17.20 $0.59 – $12.74
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $3.60 $0.59 – $4.05
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $5.19 $1.57 – $5.83

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →