healthcosts.net

ER Visit (level 2) 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

$508.00

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.

$635.00

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.

$41.28 with Sanford Health Plan vs $571.50 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
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $41.28 ↓ -92%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $41.28 ↓ -92%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $41.28 ↓ -92%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $41.28 ↓ -92%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $72.49 ↓ -86%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $150.44 ↓ -70%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $161.53 ↓ -68%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $163.11 ↓ -68%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $163.11 ↓ -68%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $163.11 ↓ -68%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $163.11 ↓ -68%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $163.11 ↓ -68%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $166.28 ↓ -67%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $171.41 ↓ -66%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $171.41 ↓ -66%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $200.88 ↓ -60%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial $205.70 ↓ -60%
Health Partners State Employees $212.73 ↓ -58%
Health Partners Commercial $247.65 ↓ -51%
Security Health Plan Commercial $349.25 ↓ -31%
United Healthcare CSP Top 20 $427.36 ↓ -16%
Medica Choice $427.99 ↓ -16%
Ucare Commercial $446.34 ↓ -12%
Medica Elect $457.84 ↓ -10%
Aetna Commercial $485.78 ↓ -4%
United Healthcare Commercial $559.44 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $571.50 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $571.50 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $571.50 ↑ +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

ER Visit (level 2) at other South-dakota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center Clear Lake $483.20 $309.85 – $543.60
Sanford Hospital Webster Webster $488.80 $191.85 – $549.90
Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center Chamberlain $503.20 $215.12 – $566.10
Sanford Canton Inwood Medical Center Canton $494.40 $211.36 – $556.20
Sanford Vermillion Hospital Vermillion $431.20 $159.01 – $485.10
Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center Aberdeen $510.40 $150.44 – $574.20

All South-dakota hospitals for this procedure →