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Duluth, MN medical costs: MRI, CT, ultrasound, ER and colonoscopy prices

Posted facility cash prices in Duluth (3 hospitals, Oct 2026 price files): MRI $1,869–$2,480; CT $1,078–$2,685; ultrasound $313–$562; ER visit $497–$883; colonoscopy $1,609–$1,866. Doctor fees are billed separately.

Hospitals in Duluth (by the city in each hospital’s price file): Essentia Health Duluth, Essentia Health St Mary's Medical Center, St Lukes Hospital · lowest posted discounted-cash rate (hospital-fee rows only) plus doctor fee · Oct 2026

Jump to: Quick compare · MRI · CT · Ultrasound · ER visit · Colonoscopy

Quick compare: facility cash price by exam

Facility (hospital-fee) discounted-cash price only, across hospitals in this area that post one for the code; n = hospitals with a cash price. Doctor fees are left out of this summary because they mix FROM FILE, ESTIMATE and VERIFY unevenly; see each section for all-in ranges. Audit note: some posted lows that turned out to be professional-component, urgent-care or conflicting duplicate lines were excluded after a file-level audit (those hospitals show no cash for that exam).

MRI

MRI brain without contrast

All-in planning range: facility + radiologist read · CPT 70551

0 of 3 hospitals have a FROM FILE doctor fee (0 tagged VERIFY); the rest use ESTIMATE = CMS 2026 MN $66.42 ×1–3. How we estimate

MRI lumbar spine without contrast

All-in planning range: facility + radiologist read · CPT 72148

0 of 3 hospitals have a FROM FILE doctor fee (0 tagged VERIFY); the rest use ESTIMATE = CMS 2026 MN $67.10 ×1–3. How we estimate

MRI knee (lower-extremity joint) without contrast

All-in planning range: facility + radiologist read · CPT 73721

0 of 3 hospitals have a FROM FILE doctor fee (0 tagged VERIFY); the rest use ESTIMATE = CMS 2026 MN $61.62 ×1–3. How we estimate

CT scan

CT head/brain w/o contrast · CPT 70450

CT sinus/maxillofacial w/o contrast · CPT 70486

CT chest w/o contrast · CPT 71250

CT chest with contrast · CPT 71260

CT abdomen & pelvis w/o contrast · CPT 74176

CT abdomen & pelvis with contrast · CPT 74177

Ultrasound

Ultrasound, complete abdomen · CPT 76700

Ultrasound, complete pelvis (non-OB) · CPT 76856

Ultrasound, soft tissue head/neck (thyroid) · CPT 76536

Ultrasound, breast, limited · CPT 76642

ER visit

ER visit, level 3 (moderate)

All-in planning range: facility + er physician · CPT 99283

1 of 3 hospitals have a FROM FILE doctor fee (0 tagged VERIFY); the rest use ESTIMATE = CMS 2026 MN $65.04 ×1–3. How we estimate

ER visit, level 4 (high)

All-in planning range: facility + er physician · CPT 99284

1 of 3 hospitals have a FROM FILE doctor fee (0 tagged VERIFY); the rest use ESTIMATE = CMS 2026 MN $110.45 ×1–3. How we estimate

Colonoscopy (CPT 45378)

All-in planning range (facility + doctor + anesthesia)

3 hospitals with a professional-fee layer. Anesthesia (CPT 00811) is an ESTIMATE for every hospital: CMS 2026 Minnesota anesthesia fee ≈ $117.78 (4 base + 2 time units × $19.63) up to 3× — none of the hospital files posted usable per-case anesthesia rates (a few posted per-unit rates, which we don’t add). Some colonoscopies use nurse sedation with no separate anesthesia bill. Pathology (CPT 88305, pathologist read) applies only when a polyp or biopsy is taken; FROM FILE = 10th–90th percentile of the hospital file’s professional rates, else ESTIMATE $35.14–$105 (CMS 88305-26 ×1–3); count it once per specimen jar. Lab facility fees for pathology are not included.

How we estimate

Gaps

• Facility price = hospital-fee rows only (no “professional” billing class, no modifier 26; where a hospital labels every row professional, the technical/global non-26 rate is used).
• Doctor fee is FROM FILE only where the hospital posts ≥10 professional rates (radiology incl. CT: modifier 26; ER and colonoscopy: no modifier); otherwise ESTIMATE (CMS 2026 MN ×1–3), not that hospital’s bill.
• VERIFY (Mayo Clinic Health System hospitals): rows are true professional lines, but most payer rates are listed as a percent of billed charges (≈95–97% of the gross charge), not a fixed contracted fee — the typical amount actually paid may be much lower. Shown as posted; ask for a Good Faith Estimate.
• Colonoscopy all-in = facility + gastroenterologist + anesthesia (00811, always ESTIMATE: CMS 2026 MN ×1–3) + pathology if a polyp is removed (88305: FROM FILE where posted, VERIFY where most rates are a percent of billed charges). A polyp removal changes the code (45380/45385) and the price.
• Safety grades: Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Spring 2026 (hospitalsafetygrade.org, accessed Oct 2026). Critical access hospitals are generally not graded.

Statewide: MRI · CT · ER · Colonoscopy · Ultrasound

Facility fee only — doctor/radiologist, anesthesia, and pathology fees are billed separately and are not included. Prices come from each hospital’s own posted standard-charges file, last checked Oct 2026. Negotiated median is across all insurer rates in the file; it is not your plan’s price. Your insurer (Blue Cross, HealthPartners, Medica, UCare, etc.) may pay a different rate, and your cost depends on your deductible and coinsurance. Always ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Facility price = hospital-fee rows only (no “professional” billing class, no modifier 26; where a hospital labels every row professional, the technical/global non-26 rate is used). Re-extracted Oct 30, 2026. Know your billing rights.

How we got these prices · Last updated: Oct 30, 2026 (data files compiled). Data sources: hospitals’ own posted price files (machine-readable files parsed Oct 2026); doctor/radiologist estimates from CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule (RVU26D, Oct 2026 release).