Platelet automated 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

$42.40

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.

Full explanation →

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

$53.00

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.

$12.83 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $49.82 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 $12.83 ↓ -70%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $26.71 ↓ -37%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $28.67 ↓ -32%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $28.94 ↓ -32%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $28.94 ↓ -32%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $28.94 ↓ -32%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $28.94 ↓ -32%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $28.94 ↓ -32%
Security Health Plan Commercial $29.15 ↓ -31%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $29.49 ↓ -30%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $32.07 ↓ -24%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial $36.48 ↓ -14%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $41.84 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $42.93 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $44.26 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $46.06 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $46.57 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $46.59 ↑ +10%
Multiplan Commercial $47.70 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $47.70 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $47.70 ↑ +13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $49.04 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $49.22 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers/SD Exchange Commercial $49.22 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $49.82 ↑ +18%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Platelet automated at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $60.80 $18.40 – $68.40
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $56.00 $16.95 – $63.00
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $25.60 $7.75 – $28.80
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $56.00 $16.95 – $63.00
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $49.60 $21.30 – $55.80
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $49.60 $21.30 – $55.80
United Hospital MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings $46.99 $2.92 – $8.26
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $43.01 $4.17 – $19.92

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →