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CMS Price Transparency Data Hospital file updated: 2026-01-01

CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)

Facility: Essentia Health Sandstone

Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
$285Fair BaseRate (0.37× Market)
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price63% Below Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

This hospital's typical commercial price is $106 compared to the $285 fair price benchmark.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence
A fair price for this
$285
about 2.7× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $109–$807
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
What this hospital charges insurers
$106
Below the fair price — a good deal
about $179 under the fair price · 1.0× Medicare
Medicare pays $107 Fair price $285 This hospital $106 Cash price $1,457 Hospital's list price $1,972

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MN hospitals

Highest price of the 9 MN hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $45 Priciest $106

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MN hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

Note: The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) is about $285 (about 2.7× the $107 Medicare rate). Essentia Health Sandstone charges insurers about $106, or about $1,457 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Sandstone, MN.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

UnitedHealthcareBlue Cross Blue ShieldAetnaCigna HumanaKaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company Price range vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor $927 - $1,795 868%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor $757 - $1,584 709%
Aetnamajor $1,676 1569%
Cignamajor $1,538 - $1,572 1440%
HealthPartners $793 - $1,572 742%
Medica $785 - $1,615 735%
Sanford Health Plan $846 - $890 792%
Security Health Plan $927 - $1,972 868%
UCare $927 - $1,298 868%
+ 12 smaller / regional plans $106 - $1,518
Government programs also on file: Medicare.
Excludes 2 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Insurance Before you use insurance

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Facility Profile & Credentials

  • Address: 705 Lundorff Drive South, Sandstone, MN 55072
  • CMS Rating: No CMS Rating
  • Ownership Type: Voluntary non-profit - Private
  • Hospital Type: Critical Access Hospitals

Other Procedures at Essentia Health Sandstone

Compare: CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) at other MN hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.

Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at Essentia Health Sandstone (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 241309
CPT 72131
Fair BaseRate™ $285
Medicare Rate $107
Self-Pay Cash $1,457
Insurer Median $106
Pre-filled with Essentia Health Sandstone’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $716 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $716

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $716).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Save $515 Paying Cash

Self-Pay Cash Rate ($1,457) Beats Your Bill

Essentia Health Sandstone's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $1,457 (vs. $106 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$1,687 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $285 Fair BaseRate ($107 Medicare)

Your bill ($1,972) is $1,687 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($285) and 18.4× the $107 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification Verified CMS CCN 241309

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

MRF Portal Indexed (411884597_Essentia-Sandstone_standardcharges.csv) Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 241309) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF File411884597_Essentia-Sandstone_standardcharges.csv
Publication / Vintage2026-01-01 · 411.63 MB
Validated Rate Rows3,766,588 (CMS v3.0.0)
File Integrity Digeste2a304f9a1149c4e8bbf…

Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy