X-ray small intestine follow-through study 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

$763.20

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.

$954.00

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.

$327.70 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $896.76 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.

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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 $327.70 ↓ -57%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $362.52 ↓ -53%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $389.23 ↓ -49%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $393.05 ↓ -48%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $393.05 ↓ -48%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $393.05 ↓ -48%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $393.05 ↓ -48%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $393.05 ↓ -48%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $400.68 ↓ -48%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/TRUE $511.15 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $511.15 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $524.70 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $601.31 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $601.31 ↓ -21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $659.21 ↓ -14%
Health Partners Commercial $772.74 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $796.59 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $829.03 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $838.18 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $838.57 ↑ +10%
Cigna Commercial $858.60 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $858.60 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $858.60 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $858.60 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $896.76 ↑ +18%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital —
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray small intestine follow-through study at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $763.20 $327.70 – $858.60
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $544.00 $75.20 – $612.00
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $220.00 $75.20 – $247.50
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $415.54 $138.57 – $389.54
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $417.98 $164.00 – $550.77
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $415.54 $138.57 – $389.54
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribualt $417.98 $164.00 – $550.77
New Ulm Medical Center MN 56073 $515.42 $207.63 – $752.69

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →