Crystal identification light microscopy at United Hospital

333 Smith Ave N. St. Paul, MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings, MN · Allinahealth · · NPI 1457319485

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jun 16, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$93.02

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.

$193.80

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.

$6.82 with allina aetna medicare (u) vs $193.80 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
allina aetna medicare (u) allina aetna medicare (u) $6.82 ↓ -93%
medicare medicare (u) $7.18 ↓ -92%
medicare other all other medicare (u) $7.18 ↓ -92%
medicaid medicaid ma (u) $7.32 ↓ -92%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (u) $7.32 ↓ -92%
bcbs bc medicare (u) $7.54 ↓ -92%
medica medica medicare (u) $7.54 ↓ -92%
south country health alliance scha pmap (u) $7.54 ↓ -92%
uhc ubh pmap uhc ubh pmap (u) $9.15 ↓ -90%
health partners hpi pmap (amu) $30.06 ↓ -68%
health partners hpi medicare (amu) $34.76 ↓ -63%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc pmap (amu) $35.58 ↓ -62%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $38.99 ↓ -58%
medica pmap (um) medica pmap (um) $43.02 ↓ -54%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $56.14 ↓ -40%
aetna aetna elevate (amu) $68.31 ↓ -27%
aetna aetna performance (amu) $72.68 ↓ -22%
medica dual solutions (a u) medica dual solutions (a u) $86.05 ↓ -7%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc state health plan (mu) $88.36 ↓ -5%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (m u) $93.81 ↑ +1%
blue cross allina health blueprint (mu) $101.00 ↑ +9%
aetna direct network aetna direct network (amu) $105.89 ↑ +14%
bcbs bc aehp (mu) $110.35 ↑ +19%
united healthcare (um) united healthcare (um) $117.25 ↑ +26%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (mu) $118.45 ↑ +27%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc aware/blue plus (m u) $124.69 ↑ +34%
americas ppo (araz)(a m u) americas ppo (araz)(a m u) $129.69 ↑ +39%
medica ubh (u) medica ubh (u) $135.66 ↑ +46%
americas ppo (araz) americas ppo (araz) (a c m u) $143.41 ↑ +54%
medica health system medica elect (u m) $143.92 ↑ +55%
medica mhps medica mhps (u m) $150.25 ↑ +62%
medica medica essentials (u m) $150.25 ↑ +62%
medica ubh pmap medica ubh pmap (u) $155.04 ↑ +67%
medica health system medica choice (u m) $158.14 ↑ +70%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $162.79 ↑ +75%
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) $193.80 ↑ +108%

Visitor-reported prices

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Crystal identification light microscopy at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $45.60 $13.80 – $51.30
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $84.00 $25.42 – $94.50
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $50.40 $15.25 – $56.70
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $43.20 $13.07 – $48.60
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $84.00 $25.42 – $94.50
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $56.80 $24.39 – $63.90
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $56.80 $24.39 – $63.90
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $85.01 $6.82 – $127.26

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →