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ER Visit (level 1, minor) 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

$244.00

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.

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

$305.00

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.

$73.84 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $286.70 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 $73.84 ↓ -70%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $92.45 ↓ -62%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $153.72 ↓ -37%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $165.01 ↓ -32%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $166.53 ↓ -32%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $166.53 ↓ -32%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $166.53 ↓ -32%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $166.53 ↓ -32%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $166.53 ↓ -32%
Security Health Plan Commercial $167.75 ↓ -31%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $169.73 ↓ -30%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $184.53 ↓ -24%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial $209.93 ↓ -14%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $240.77 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $247.05 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $254.68 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $265.05 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $267.97 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $268.10 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $274.50 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $274.50 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $274.50 ↑ +13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $282.19 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers/SD Exchange Commercial $283.25 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $283.25 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $286.70 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 1, minor) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $296.80 $89.82 – $333.90
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $323.20 $92.45 – $363.60
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $315.20 $92.45 – $354.60
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $230.40 $69.72 – $259.20
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $315.20 $64.05 – $354.60
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $256.00 $65.44 – $288.00
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $323.20 $92.45 – $363.60
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $245.60 $92.45 – $276.30

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →