healthcosts.net

Established Patient Office Visit (level 2) 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

$100.80

Cash price

?

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.

$126.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$43.28 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $118.44 with Medica — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $43.28 ↓ -57%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $47.88 ↓ -53%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $51.41 ↓ -49%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $51.91 ↓ -49%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $51.91 ↓ -49%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $51.91 ↓ -49%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $51.91 ↓ -49%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $51.91 ↓ -49%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $52.92 ↓ -48%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/TRUE $67.51 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $67.51 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $69.30 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $79.42 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $79.42 ↓ -21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $87.07 ↓ -14%
Health Partners Commercial $102.06 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $105.21 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $109.49 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $110.70 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $110.75 ↑ +10%
Cigna Commercial $113.40 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $113.40 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $113.40 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $113.40 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $118.44 ↑ +18%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Established Patient Office Visit (level 2) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $100.80 $43.28 – $113.40
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $123.20 $37.28 – $138.60
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $164.80 $33.41 – $124.20
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $126.40 $38.25 – $142.20
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $135.20 $40.91 – $152.10
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $156.80 $47.45 – $176.40
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $167.20 $51.89 – $117.00
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $251.20 $51.18 – $118.80

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →