Culture body fluid at River Falls Area Hospital

1617 E Division St, River Falls, MN · Allinahealth · · NPI 1285691725

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jun 15, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$53.14

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.

$94.90

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.

$6.28 with ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) vs $85.07 with bc high value/ performance network (r) — 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 pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $6.28 ↓ -88%
allina aetna medicare (r) allina aetna medicare (r) $8.03 ↓ -85%
medica health system medica pmap (r) $8.39 ↓ -84%
medicare medicare (r) $8.45 ↓ -84%
medicaid medicaid ma (r) $8.61 ↓ -84%
medicare other all other medicare (r) $13.15 ↓ -75%
medica medica medicare (r) $13.81 ↓ -74%
bcbs bc medicare (r) $13.81 ↓ -74%
medica health system medica dual solutions (r) $14.04 ↓ -74%
south country health alliance scha msho (r) $14.47 ↓ -73%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (r) $14.98 ↓ -72%
south country health alliance scha pmap (r) $15.43 ↓ -71%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc pmap (r) $17.19 ↓ -68%
aetna aetna elevate (n r) $19.12 ↓ -64%
aetna aetna performance (n r) $20.65 ↓ -61%
americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) americas ppo (araz)(b d n o r s v) $24.07 ↓ -55%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $26.21 ↓ -51%
americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s) americas ppo (araz) (b d n h o r s v) $26.21 ↓ -51%
aetna direct/indirect network aetna direct/indirect network (n r) $26.39 ↓ -50%
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) $31.20 ↓ -41%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc state health plan (r) $52.43 ↓ -1%
bc aware/blue plus (nr) bc aware/blue plus (nr) $59.89 ↑ +13%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (r) $67.37 ↑ +27%
bcbs bc aehp (r) $79.25 ↑ +49%
bc high value/ performance network (r) bc high value/ performance network (r) $85.07 ↑ +60%

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture body fluid at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $99.20 $23.24 – $86.40
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $136.00 $33.89 – $126.00
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $87.20 $26.39 – $98.10
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $48.00 $7.99 – $29.70
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $136.00 $33.89 – $126.00
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $159.20 $18.55 – $48.60
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $159.20 $18.55 – $48.60
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $58.18 $8.03 – $30.90

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →