Drainage external ear simple 69000 at Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls

120 Labree Ave S, Thief River Falls, MN · Sanford Health · · NPI 1790842466

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

$771.20

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.

$964.00

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$331.13 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $906.16 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 $331.13 ↓ -57%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $366.32 ↓ -53%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $393.31 ↓ -49%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $397.17 ↓ -48%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $397.17 ↓ -48%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $397.17 ↓ -48%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $397.17 ↓ -48%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $397.17 ↓ -48%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $404.88 ↓ -48%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/TRUE $516.51 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $516.51 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $530.20 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $607.61 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $607.61 ↓ -21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $666.12 ↓ -14%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $738.77 ↓ -4%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $738.77 ↓ -4%
Health Partners Commercial $780.84 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $804.94 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $837.72 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $846.97 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $847.36 ↑ +10%
Multiplan Commercial $867.60 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $867.60 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $867.60 ↑ +13%
Cigna Commercial $867.60 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $906.16 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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Drainage external ear simple 69000 at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $771.20 $331.13 – $867.60
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $864.00 $261.47 – $972.00
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $748.80 $226.61 – $842.40
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $633.60 $191.74 – $712.80
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $779.20 $235.81 – $876.60
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $748.80 $426.54 – $842.40
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $789.60 $382.66 – $888.30
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $864.00 $261.47 – $972.00

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →