EKG (Tracing Only) 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

$221.60

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.

$277.00

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.

$62.37 with Primewest vs $260.38 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
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $62.37 ↓ -72%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $62.37 ↓ -72%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $79.75 ↓ -64%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $105.26 ↓ -53%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $113.02 ↓ -49%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $114.12 ↓ -49%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $114.12 ↓ -49%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $114.12 ↓ -49%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $114.12 ↓ -49%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $114.12 ↓ -49%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $116.34 ↓ -48%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $148.42 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/TRUE $148.42 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $152.35 ↓ -31%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $159.50 ↓ -28%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $174.59 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $174.59 ↓ -21%
Health Partners Commercial $224.37 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $231.30 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $240.71 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $243.37 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $243.48 ↑ +10%
Multiplan Commercial $249.30 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $249.30 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $249.30 ↑ +13%
Cigna Commercial $249.30 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $260.38 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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EKG (Tracing Only) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $221.60 $62.37 – $249.30
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $265.60 $62.37 – $298.80
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $278.40 $62.37 – $313.20
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $260.80 $62.37 – $293.40
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $224.80 $62.37 – $252.90
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $180.80 $62.37 – $203.40
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $260.80 $44.13 – $293.40
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $123.20 $45.08 – $138.60

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →