Smear fluorescent and/or acid fast stain at Abbott Northwestern Hospital

800 E 28th Street. Minneapolis, MN 55407, MN · Allinahealth · · NPI 1760446256

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

$32.93

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.

$68.60

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.

$5.02 with allina aetna medicare (a) vs $52.16 with first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) — 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 (a) allina aetna medicare (a) $5.02 ↓ -85%
medicare medicare (a) $5.28 ↓ -84%
medicare other all other medicare (a) $5.28 ↓ -84%
medicaid medicaid ma (a) $5.39 ↓ -84%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (a) $5.39 ↓ -84%
bcbs bc medicare (a) $5.54 ↓ -83%
medica medica medicare (a) $5.54 ↓ -83%
hennepin health hennepin health (a) $6.14 ↓ -81%
uhc ubh pmap uhc ubh pmap (a) $6.74 ↓ -80%
health partners hpi pmap (amu) $9.43 ↓ -71%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc pmap (amu) $10.88 ↓ -67%
health partners hpi medicare (amu) $10.90 ↓ -67%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $12.49 ↓ -62%
medica health system medica pmap (a) $13.79 ↓ -58%
health partners hpi (a) $16.16 ↓ -51%
hpi-cigna hpi cigna (a) $17.61 ↓ -47%
aetna aetna elevate (amu) $21.89 ↓ -34%
aetna aetna performance (amu) $23.29 ↓ -29%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc state health plan (a) $27.03 ↓ -18%
medica dual solutions (a u) medica dual solutions (a u) $27.57 ↓ -16%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (a) $28.69 ↓ -13%
bcbs bc aehp (a) $33.76 ↑ +3%
aetna direct network aetna direct network (amu) $33.93 ↑ +3%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (a) $36.23 ↑ +10%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc aware/blue plus (a m u) $36.45 ↑ +11%
united healthcare (a) united healthcare (a) $37.57 ↑ +14%
americas ppo (araz)(a m u) americas ppo (araz)(a m u) $41.56 ↑ +26%
medica ubh (a) medica ubh (a) $43.47 ↑ +32%
medica health system medica elect (a) $46.12 ↑ +40%
medica medica essentials (a) $48.07 ↑ +46%
medica mhps medica mhps (a) $48.15 ↑ +46%
medica ubh pmap medica ubh pmap (a) $49.68 ↑ +51%
medica health system medica choice (a) $50.67 ↑ +54%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $52.16 ↑ +58%

Visitor-reported prices

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Smear fluorescent and/or acid fast stain at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $47.20 $14.28 – $53.10
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $96.00 $29.05 – $108.00
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $64.80 $19.61 – $72.90
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $48.80 $14.77 – $54.90
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $96.00 $29.05 – $108.00
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $76.80 $32.98 – $86.40
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $76.80 $32.98 – $86.40
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $32.93 $5.02 – $30.90

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →