Prices at 3 hospitals in Saint Paul, MN, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $26 — 33% below the US median ($38), roughly 7.3× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions Hospital | Saint Paul, MN | $22 | $3 | ★ 3/5 | 231 min | — |
| Allina United Hospital | Saint Paul, MN | $29 | $12 | ★ 3/5 | 182 min | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $26 — about 7.3× the Medicare rate ($3). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($7).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $72 list price could save about $47 (65%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Saint Paul
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Olson, MD | Pathology | Saint Paul, MN | 156 |
| Sapna Prabhakaran, M.D | Pediatric Medicine | Saint Paul, MN | 51 |
| William Brombach, MD | Internal Medicine | Saint Paul, MN | 50 |
| Prasanthi Meagher, M.D | Internal Medicine | Saint Paul, MN | 35 |
| Gary Baker, MD | Rheumatology | Saint Paul, MN | 23 |
| Tammie Burnoski, CNP | Nurse Practitioner | Saint Paul, MN | 12 |
All Sedimentation rate (ESR) test prices in Minnesota → · All Sedimentation rate (ESR) test prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Paul