healthcosts.net

Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with and without contrast) at Sanford USD Medical Center

1305 W 18th St, Sioux Falls, SD · Sanford Health · · NPI 1821017880

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

$3,717.60

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.

$4,647.00

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.

$170.46 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota vs $4,182.30 with Multiplan — 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $170.46 ↓ -95%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $338.87 ↓ -91%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $338.87 ↓ -91%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $338.87 ↓ -91%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $338.87 ↓ -91%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $339.27 ↓ -91%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $364.27 ↓ -90%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $367.84 ↓ -90%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $367.84 ↓ -90%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $367.84 ↓ -90%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $367.84 ↓ -90%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $367.84 ↓ -90%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $374.99 ↓ -90%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $403.06 ↓ -89%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $403.06 ↓ -89%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $472.36 ↓ -87%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial $483.70 ↓ -87%
Health Partners State Employees $1,556.75 ↓ -58%
Health Partners Commercial $1,812.33 ↓ -51%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2,555.85 ↓ -31%
United Healthcare CSP Top 20 $3,127.43 ↓ -16%
Medica Choice $3,132.08 ↓ -16%
Ucare Commercial $3,266.38 ↓ -12%
Medica Elect $3,350.49 ↓ -10%
Aetna Commercial $3,554.96 ↓ -4%
United Healthcare Commercial $4,094.01 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $4,182.30 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $4,182.30 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $4,182.30 ↑ +13%
Wellmark HMO/PPO not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with and without contrast) at other South-dakota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center Clear Lake $3,832.80 $1,215.50 – $4,311.90
Sanford Hospital Webster Webster $4,208.80 $1,651.95 – $4,734.90
Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center Chamberlain $3,762.40 $1,608.43 – $4,232.70
Sanford Canton Inwood Medical Center Canton $3,671.20 $1,569.44 – $4,130.10
Sanford Vermillion Hospital Vermillion $3,764.80 $1,388.27 – $4,235.40
Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center Aberdeen $3,681.60 $339.27 – $4,141.80

All South-dakota hospitals for this procedure →