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ER Visit (level 4) 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

$1,384.00

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.

$1,730.00

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.

$119.50 with Sanford Health Plan vs $1,557.00 with Multiplan — 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 Commercial/ND Pers $119.50 ↓ -91%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $119.50 ↓ -91%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $119.50 ↓ -91%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $119.50 ↓ -91%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $196.31 ↓ -86%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $404.53 ↓ -71%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $434.34 ↓ -69%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $438.59 ↓ -68%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $438.59 ↓ -68%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $438.59 ↓ -68%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $438.59 ↓ -68%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $438.59 ↓ -68%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $447.11 ↓ -68%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $464.20 ↓ -66%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $464.20 ↓ -66%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $544.02 ↓ -61%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial $557.07 ↓ -60%
Health Partners State Employees $579.55 ↓ -58%
Health Partners Commercial $674.70 ↓ -51%
Security Health Plan Commercial $951.50 ↓ -31%
United Healthcare CSP Top 20 $1,164.29 ↓ -16%
Medica Choice $1,166.02 ↓ -16%
Ucare Commercial $1,216.02 ↓ -12%
Medica Elect $1,247.33 ↓ -10%
Aetna Commercial $1,323.45 ↓ -4%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,524.13 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $1,557.00 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $1,557.00 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $1,557.00 ↑ +13%
Wellmark HMO/PPO not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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ER Visit (level 4) at other South-dakota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center Clear Lake $1,103.20 $707.43 – $1,241.10
Sanford Hospital Webster Webster $1,078.40 $423.27 – $1,213.20
Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center Chamberlain $1,204.00 $514.71 – $1,354.50
Sanford Canton Inwood Medical Center Canton $1,288.80 $550.96 – $1,449.90
Sanford Vermillion Hospital Vermillion $1,360.80 $501.80 – $1,530.90
Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center Aberdeen $984.80 $404.53 – $1,107.90

All South-dakota hospitals for this procedure →