Bx breast 1st lesion mr imag 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

$3,495.20

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.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$4,369.00

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.

$1,500.75 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $4,106.86 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 $1,500.75 ↓ -57%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,660.22 ↓ -53%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $1,701.25 ↓ -51%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $1,701.25 ↓ -51%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $1,782.55 ↓ -49%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $1,800.03 ↓ -48%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $1,800.03 ↓ -48%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $1,800.03 ↓ -48%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $1,800.03 ↓ -48%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $1,800.03 ↓ -48%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $1,834.98 ↓ -48%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $2,340.91 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/TRUE $2,340.91 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2,402.95 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $2,753.78 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $2,753.78 ↓ -21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $3,018.98 ↓ -14%
Health Partners Commercial $3,538.89 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $3,648.12 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $3,796.66 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $3,838.60 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $3,840.35 ↑ +10%
Multiplan Commercial $3,932.10 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $3,932.10 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $3,932.10 ↑ +13%
Cigna Commercial $3,932.10 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $4,106.86 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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Bx breast 1st lesion mr imag at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $3,495.20 $1,500.75 – $3,932.10
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $3,918.40 $1,169.64 – $4,408.20
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $3,017.09 $423.75 – $7,233.00
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $2,478.90 $466.98 – $4,275.53
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $3,017.09 $423.75 – $7,233.00
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $2,478.90 $466.98 – $4,275.53
New Ulm Medical Center MN 56073 $4,804.69 $465.03 – $7,016.47
Mercy Hospital MN 55443 | 550 Osborne Road NE. Fridley $3,017.09 $423.75 – $7,233.00

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →