Pet image w/ct lmtd at Sanford Fargo Medical Center

5225 23rd Ave S, Fargo, ND · Sanford Health · · NPI 1528009412

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$7,195.20

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.

$8,994.00

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.

$1,139.85 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $8,094.60 with Cigna — 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 $1,139.85 ↓ -84%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,385.66 ↓ -81%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $1,487.76 ↓ -79%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $1,502.35 ↓ -79%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $1,502.35 ↓ -79%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $1,502.35 ↓ -79%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $1,502.35 ↓ -79%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $1,502.35 ↓ -79%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $1,502.35 ↓ -79%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $1,531.52 ↓ -79%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $1,639.66 ↓ -77%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $1,639.66 ↓ -77%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $2,497.63 ↓ -65%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial $2,762.55 ↓ -62%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $2,847.50 ↓ -60%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $2,938.34 ↓ -59%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $3,350.27 ↓ -53%
Health Partners Commercial $3,687.54 ↓ -49%
Medica Choice $4,047.30 ↓ -44%
Medica Elect $4,326.11 ↓ -40%
Security Health Plan Commercial $4,946.70 ↓ -31%
United Healthcare CSP Top 20 $5,702.20 ↓ -21%
Ucare Commercial $6,321.88 ↓ -12%
Aetna Commercial $7,689.87 ↑ +7%
United Healthcare Commercial $7,833.77 ↑ +9%
Multiplan Commercial $8,094.60 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $8,094.60 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $8,094.60 ↑ +13%
Cigna Commercial $8,094.60 ↑ +13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Pet image w/ct lmtd at other North-dakota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Medical Center Bismarck Bismarck not published $1,385.66 – $1,531.52

All North-dakota hospitals for this procedure →