Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic at Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center

2905 3rd Ave SE, Aberdeen, SD · Sanford Health · · NPI 1235406455

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

$921.60

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.

$1,152.00

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.

$510.91 with Sanford Health Plan vs $1,058.69 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
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $510.91 ↓ -45%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $582.57 ↓ -37%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $601.00 ↓ -35%
Security Health Plan Commercial $633.60 ↓ -31%
Health Partners State Employees $638.21 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $657.89 ↓ -29%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial $685.32 ↓ -26%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $706.37 ↓ -23%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $713.30 ↓ -23%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $713.30 ↓ -23%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $713.30 ↓ -23%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $713.30 ↓ -23%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Medicare Replacement $713.30 ↓ -23%
Health Partners Commercial $725.76 ↓ -21%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $727.15 ↓ -21%
Ucare Commercial $899.71 ↓ -2%
Aetna Commercial $944.64 ↑ +3%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $961.92 ↑ +4%
Medica Choice $989.57 ↑ +7%
Multiplan Commercial $1,036.80 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $1,036.80 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $1,036.80 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $1,058.69 ↑ +15%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Commercial not published by hospital —
Wellmark HMO not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic at other South-dakota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford USD Medical Center Sioux Falls $1,292.80 $63.25 – $1,454.40
Sanford Hospital Webster Webster $888.00 $348.54 – $999.00
Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center Chamberlain $940.80 $402.19 – $1,058.40
Sanford Canton Inwood Medical Center Canton $932.00 $398.43 – $1,048.50
Sanford Vermillion Hospital Vermillion $1,217.60 $448.99 – $1,369.80

All South-dakota hospitals for this procedure →