healthcosts.net

Neck (Cervical Spine) CT scan (without 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

$1,886.40

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.

$2,358.00

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.

$111.66 with Ucare vs $2,216.52 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
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $111.66 ↓ -94%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $352.55 ↓ -81%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $705.10 ↓ -63%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,188.43 ↓ -37%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $1,275.68 ↓ -32%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $1,287.47 ↓ -32%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $1,287.47 ↓ -32%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $1,287.47 ↓ -32%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $1,287.47 ↓ -32%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $1,287.47 ↓ -32%
Security Health Plan Commercial $1,296.90 ↓ -31%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $1,312.23 ↓ -30%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $1,426.59 ↓ -24%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial $1,623.01 ↓ -14%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $1,861.41 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $1,909.98 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $1,968.93 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $2,049.10 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $2,071.74 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $2,072.68 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $2,122.20 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $2,122.20 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $2,122.20 ↑ +13%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers/SD Exchange Commercial $2,189.87 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $2,189.87 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $2,216.52 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Neck (Cervical Spine) CT scan (without contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $2,447.20 $111.66 – $2,753.10
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $2,440.00 $111.66 – $2,745.00
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $1,996.80 $111.66 – $2,246.40
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $2,522.40 $111.66 – $2,837.70
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $2,072.40 $81.04 – $2,331.45
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $1,996.80 $79.32 – $2,246.40
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $1,961.60 $111.66 – $2,206.80
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $2,440.00 $111.66 – $2,745.00

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →