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Thyroid Ultrasound 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

$674.40

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.

$843.00

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.

$111.66 with Ucare vs $792.42 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 $111.66 ↓ -83%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $204.09 ↓ -70%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $424.87 ↓ -37%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $456.06 ↓ -32%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $460.28 ↓ -32%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $460.28 ↓ -32%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $460.28 ↓ -32%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $460.28 ↓ -32%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $460.28 ↓ -32%
Security Health Plan Commercial $463.65 ↓ -31%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $469.13 ↓ -30%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $510.02 ↓ -24%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial $580.24 ↓ -14%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $665.46 ↓ -1%
Health Partners Commercial $682.83 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $703.91 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $732.57 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $740.66 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $741.00 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $758.70 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $758.70 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $758.70 ↑ +13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $779.94 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers/SD Exchange Commercial $782.89 ↑ +16%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $782.89 ↑ +16%
Medica Elect $792.42 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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Thyroid Ultrasound at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $772.00 $111.66 – $868.50
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $902.40 $111.66 – $1,015.20
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $426.40 $111.66 – $479.70
Sanford Luverne Medical Center Luverne $736.80 $111.66 – $828.90
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $637.60 $79.32 – $717.30
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $700.80 $81.04 – $788.40
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $902.40 $111.66 – $1,015.20
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $507.20 $111.66 – $570.60

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →