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Abdominal MRI (with contrast) at Sanford Wheaton

401 12th St N, Wheaton, MN · Sanford Health · · NPI 1154615573

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

$3,248.00

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.

$4,060.00

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.

$374.99 with Ucare vs $3,816.40 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
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $374.99 ↓ -88%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $607.75 ↓ -81%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $1,215.50 ↓ -63%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $2,046.24 ↓ -37%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $2,196.46 ↓ -32%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $2,216.76 ↓ -32%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $2,216.76 ↓ -32%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $2,216.76 ↓ -32%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $2,216.76 ↓ -32%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $2,216.76 ↓ -32%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2,233.00 ↓ -31%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $2,259.39 ↓ -30%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $2,456.30 ↓ -24%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial $2,794.50 ↓ -14%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $3,204.96 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $3,288.60 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $3,390.10 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $3,528.14 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $3,567.12 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $3,568.74 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $3,654.00 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $3,654.00 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $3,654.00 ↑ +13%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers/SD Exchange Commercial $3,770.52 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $3,770.52 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $3,816.40 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal MRI (with contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $3,392.00 $374.99 – $3,816.00
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $3,473.60 $374.99 – $3,907.80
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $3,464.80 $277.45 – $3,897.90
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $3,106.40 $283.44 – $3,494.70
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $3,473.60 $374.99 – $3,907.80
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $3,252.00 $374.99 – $3,658.50
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $3,252.00 $374.99 – $3,658.50
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley not published $374.99 – $607.75

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →