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ER Visit (level 5, high severity) 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

$1,270.40

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.

$1,588.00

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.

$384.45 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $1,492.72 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 $384.45 ↓ -70%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $643.76 ↓ -49%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $800.35 ↓ -37%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $859.11 ↓ -32%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $867.05 ↓ -32%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $867.05 ↓ -32%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $867.05 ↓ -32%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $867.05 ↓ -32%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $867.05 ↓ -32%
Security Health Plan Commercial $873.40 ↓ -31%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $883.72 ↓ -30%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $960.74 ↓ -24%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial $1,093.02 ↓ -14%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $1,253.57 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $1,286.28 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $1,325.98 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $1,379.97 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $1,395.22 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $1,395.85 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $1,429.20 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $1,429.20 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $1,429.20 ↑ +13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $1,469.22 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers/SD Exchange Commercial $1,474.78 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $1,474.78 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $1,492.72 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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ER Visit (level 5, high severity) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $1,670.40 $505.50 – $1,879.20
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $1,752.80 $530.44 – $1,971.90
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $2,052.80 $621.23 – $2,309.40
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $1,766.40 $534.56 – $1,987.20
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $2,052.80 $463.38 – $2,309.40
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $1,335.20 $473.40 – $1,502.10
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $1,752.80 $530.44 – $1,971.90
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $1,622.40 $643.76 – $1,825.20

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →