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State Price Transparency Index 33 Mapped Hospitals 139 Shoppable Procedures 0% vs. U.S. Median (near the U.S. average)

North Dakota Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 33 North Dakota hospitals.

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.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
1.00×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%) 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.

Across 33 North Dakota hospitals, typical commercial prices match the U.S. fair price average (1.00×) after accounting for local wages and patient complexity.

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 · North Dakota Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across North Dakota, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.33 Hospitals · 139 Procedures
Hospitals Priced33 in NDTotal hospitals in North Dakota with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare2.4× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across North Dakota hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in ND0.35× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in North Dakota: Southwest Healthcare Services (Bowman) at 0.35× fair market price.

Most affordable North Dakota hospital: Southwest Healthcare Services (Bowman) at 0.35× the fair price (65% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint33 North Dakota Hospitals Analyzed

North Dakota Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 33 reporting hospitals and 139 shoppable procedures in North Dakota, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 1.00× the U.S. fair price average (2.4× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 11.2× across the state — from 0.35× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 3.93× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 1.00× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 2.4× Medicare
Advantage

Best Value in North Dakota (Lowest-Priced Hospitals & Patient Edge)

  • Best-value hospital in North Dakota: Southwest Healthcare Services (Bowman) prices care at 0.35× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Trinity Kenmare Community Hospital (Kenmare, 0.56× fair) and Altru Hospital (0.71× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile North Dakota hospitals (Q25) charge 0.94× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across North Dakota must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where North Dakota Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup North Dakota facilities reach 6.0× Medicare (CHI Mercy Health in Valley City, Carrington Health Center).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 11.2× between the lowest-priced (0.35×) and highest-priced (3.93×) hospitals in North Dakota.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable ND Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.35× – 0.94× Fair

Led by Southwest Healthcare Services (Bowman) at 0.35× fair price.

Typical North Dakota Hospital (State Median)2.4× Medicare
1.83× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 33 North Dakota hospitals.

Highest-Markup ND Hospitals (Top 25%)11.2× State Spread
2.28× – 3.93× Fair

Highest-priced quarter of North Dakota hospitals where shopping around saves the most.

North Dakota County Price & Affordability Heatmap 25 of 53 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

North Dakota County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 53 counties in North Dakota

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Ward County2hosps
0.75× Fair
Income $79k
Cass County2hosps
0.94× Fair
Income $75k
Burleigh County2hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $85k
Williams County2hosps
1.98× Fair
Income $90k
McLean County2hosps
2.04× Fair
Income $82k
Bowman County1hosp
0.35× Fair
Income $84k
Grand Forks County1hosp
0.71× Fair
Income $68k
Towner County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $63k
Stutsman County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $60k
Rolette County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $57k
Ramsey County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $61k
Bottineau County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $83k
Ransom County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $75k
Dickey County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $63k
Wells County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $61k
McIntosh County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $64k
Mountrail County1hosp
1.55× Fair
Income $81k
McKenzie County1hosp
1.92× Fair
Income $88k
Emmons County1hosp
2.13× Fair
Income $67k
Walsh County1hosp
2.28× Fair
Income $70k
Stark County1hosp
2.50× Fair
Income $81k
Traill County1hosp
2.55× Fair
Income $88k
Barnes County1hosp
3.50× Fair
Income $70k
Foster County1hosp
3.50× Fair
Income $83k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 53 total in North Dakota

All Hospitals in North Dakota (33)

Ranked by how their commercial prices compare to the fair BaseRate — best value first. Select any hospital to inspect its full procedure price list.

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Compare Prices by Procedure in North Dakota (139)

High-impact surgeries, scans, and hospital stays are listed first with the typical North Dakota price. Search any procedure below.

Browse North Dakota by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each North Dakota regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in North Dakota

Across the 34 North Dakota hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

Blue Cross Blue Shield 31 of 34 hospitals
UnitedHealthcare 26 of 34 hospitals
Aetna 14 of 34 hospitals
Humana 10 of 34 hospitals
Cigna 6 of 34 hospitals

Also negotiating in North Dakota: Sanford Health Plan (26) · Medica (24) · HealthPartners (21) · UCare (5) · Security Health Plan (4) · Health Net (3).

Prices are sourced from each hospital's federally-required public price file, most recently published October 2026. The BaseRate is a modeled fair-price estimate — not a bill or quote. How we build these numbers →