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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (without contrast) at Sanford Luverne Medical Center

1600 N Kniss Ave, Luverne, MN · Sanford Health · · NPI 1497703045

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

$2,495.20

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.

Full explanation →

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

$3,119.00

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.

$111.66 with Ucare vs $2,950.57 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
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $111.66 ↓ -96%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $352.55 ↓ -86%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $705.10 ↓ -72%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $705.10 ↓ -72%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,097.89 ↓ -56%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $1,175.86 ↓ -53%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $1,188.34 ↓ -52%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $1,188.34 ↓ -52%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $1,188.34 ↓ -52%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $1,188.34 ↓ -52%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $1,188.34 ↓ -52%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $1,211.73 ↓ -51%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $1,475.29 ↓ -41%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $1,671.16 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $1,671.16 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $1,715.45 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $1,965.91 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $1,965.91 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $2,148.99 ↓ -14%
Health Partners Commercial $2,495.20 ↑ +0%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $2,604.37 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $2,710.41 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $2,740.35 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $2,741.60 ↑ +10%
Cigna Commercial $2,807.10 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $2,807.10 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $2,807.10 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $2,807.10 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $2,950.57 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (without contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $2,447.20 $111.66 – $2,753.10
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $2,592.00 $111.66 – $2,916.00
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $1,996.80 $111.66 – $2,246.40
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $1,872.00 $111.66 – $2,106.00
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $1,854.40 $81.04 – $2,086.20
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $1,996.80 $79.32 – $2,246.40
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $2,286.40 $111.66 – $2,572.20
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $2,592.00 $111.66 – $2,916.00

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →