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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) X-ray 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

$585.60

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.

$732.00

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.

$39.94 with Sanford Health Plan vs $658.80 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 $39.94 ↓ -93%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $39.94 ↓ -93%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $39.94 ↓ -93%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $39.94 ↓ -93%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $48.73 ↓ -92%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $101.02 ↓ -83%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $108.47 ↓ -81%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $109.53 ↓ -81%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $109.53 ↓ -81%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $109.53 ↓ -81%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $109.53 ↓ -81%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $109.53 ↓ -81%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $111.66 ↓ -81%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $115.23 ↓ -80%
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $115.23 ↓ -80%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $135.05 ↓ -77%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial $138.29 ↓ -76%
Health Partners State Employees $245.22 ↓ -58%
Health Partners Commercial $285.48 ↓ -51%
Security Health Plan Commercial $402.60 ↓ -31%
United Healthcare CSP Top 20 $492.64 ↓ -16%
Medica Choice $493.37 ↓ -16%
Ucare Commercial $514.52 ↓ -12%
Medica Elect $527.77 ↓ -10%
Aetna Commercial $559.98 ↓ -4%
United Healthcare Commercial $644.89 ↑ +10%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $658.80 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $658.80 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $658.80 ↑ +13%
Wellmark HMO/PPO not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) X-ray at other South-dakota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center Clear Lake $425.60 $272.92 – $478.80
Sanford Hospital Webster Webster $444.00 $174.27 – $499.50
Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center Chamberlain $428.80 $183.31 – $482.40
Sanford Canton Inwood Medical Center Canton $331.20 $141.59 – $372.60
Sanford Vermillion Hospital Vermillion $344.00 $126.85 – $387.00
Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center Aberdeen $439.20 $101.02 – $494.10

All South-dakota hospitals for this procedure →