Blood Draw (Venipuncture) at Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center

3001 Sanford Pkwy, Thief River Falls, MN · Sanford Health · · NPI 1043218753

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

$24.00

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.

$30.00

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.

$11.40 with Sanford Health Plan Align vs $38.50 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota — 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
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $11.40 ↓ -53%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $12.24 ↓ -49%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $12.36 ↓ -49%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $12.36 ↓ -49%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $12.36 ↓ -49%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $12.36 ↓ -49%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $12.36 ↓ -49%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $12.60 ↓ -48%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $16.07 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/TRUE $16.07 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $16.50 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $18.91 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $18.91 ↓ -21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $19.25 ↓ -20%
Health Partners Commercial $24.30 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $25.05 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $26.07 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $26.36 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $26.37 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $27.00 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $27.00 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $27.00 ↑ +13%
Cigna Commercial $27.00 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $28.20 ↑ +18%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $38.50 ↑ +60%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital —
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Blood Draw (Venipuncture) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $24.00 $11.40 – $27.00
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $26.40 $15.05 – $29.70
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $20.80 $11.13 – $23.40
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $26.40 $16.63 – $29.70
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $19.20 $8.45 – $21.60
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $20.80 $10.14 – $23.40
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $15.07 $2.36 – $10.47
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $47.26 $5.28 – $12.82

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →