Cataract Surgery Cost in North Dakota (2026)
Below-average pricing · Regional price parity: 95.2 · ND
What Drives Pricing Here
Three factors explain most of why cataract surgery costs what it does in North Dakota.
Regional Price Parity
North Dakota's cost-of-living index sits at 95.2 — meaningfully below the national benchmark (100). This directly scales facility and staffing overhead, which flow through to every procedure price.
Specialist Availability
8 facilities perform this procedure in North Dakota — competition keeps pricing honest and gives you real leverage to shop quotes.
Vs. National Benchmark
At -4.8% below the national average ($5,000), North Dakota is a discount market. Often driven by lower overhead or less metro concentration — quality can still be excellent.
Cataract Surgery in North Dakota: What to Know
North Dakota offers several excellent options for cataract surgery. Trinity Health in Minot performs a significant number of cases, averaging 758 annually, and utilizes advanced trifocal lenses. For those near Fargo, Bagan Winkels Vision performs over 1,000 cataract surgeries each year, while Sanford and Essentia Health also offer services. The North Dakota Eye Clinic in Grand Forks brings 70 years of specialized experience to cataract and LASIK surgery.
To potentially reduce costs, consider an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) in North Dakota. These facilities can offer substantial savings, sometimes up to 50% less in out-of-pocket expenses compared to hospital settings for the same procedure. Dakota Eye Institute in Bismarck also provides modern, no-stitch techniques. Verify current pricing directly with providers.
Estimated Cost Breakdown in North Dakota
Cataract Surgery pricing in North Dakota comes in modestly under the US average. This is the typical expense structure.
Facility Fee
OR time and hospital staffing
Most significant cost
Surgeon Fee
Expertise and experience level
Implants & Supplies
Post-Op Care
Recovery and aftercare
Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist or CRNA fee
Total Estimated Cost
North Dakota all-in range
Financing Options
Many North Dakota clinics partner with CareCredit or Alphaeon. A typical 24-month, 0% APR term on $4,760 looks like:
- Soft credit check — no hard pull
- Instant approval decisions
- HSA/FSA eligible for qualifying cases
Based on CMS Medicare data and regional price parities. Learn about our methodology →
Ranges adjusted for North Dakota's regional price parity (95.2). See the national percentage breakdown →
Facility Costs in North Dakota
These North Dakota facilities handle the most cataract surgery cases. The negotiated rate reflects what's actually paid after insurer discounts.
| Facility | City | Negotiated Rate | Medicare | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Hospitals | Minot | $2,273 | $1,809 | 758 |
| Sanford | Fargo | $2,121 | $1,689 | 459 |
| Essentia Health Fargo | Fargo | $2,125 | $1,692 | 190 |
| Essentia Health Fargo | Fargo | $3,932 | $3,132 | 171 |
| Chi St Alexius Health | Bismarck | $3,932 | $3,132 | 111 |
| Sanford | Fargo | $3,932 | $3,133 | 77 |
| Altru Hospital | Grand Forks | $2,276 | $1,813 | 68 |
| Trinity Hospitals | Minot | $4,211 | $3,355 | 35 |
Cataract Surgery Cost in Nearby States
North Dakota has the lowest cataract surgery costs in the region. Neighboring states all run higher — here's how they compare.
Expert Answers for North Dakota Patients
Local regulations, insurance nuance, and surgical standards specific to North Dakota.
Compare North Dakota with any other state
See national pricing, all 50 state comparisons, and detailed cost factors in the main cataract surgery cost guide.
View full cataract surgery guideHow much does cataract surgery cost in North Dakota?
Can I use insurance for cataract surgery in North Dakota?
How do I compare cataract surgery facilities in North Dakota?
What's the downtime after cataract surgery?
Is cataract surgery covered under North Dakota's Medicaid program?
Can I pay for cataract surgery with pre-tax health savings?
What fees are bundled into cataract surgery costs in North Dakota?
How we calculate cataract surgery costs in North Dakota
Cost estimates combine procedure-specific pricing data with regional cost-of-living and provider-supply adjustments. Primary sources:
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Hospital pricing transparency files — CMS-required machine-readable data published by hospitals under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency rule (effective January 2021). Provides actual negotiated rates between hospitals and insurers.
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HCUP (Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project) — AHRQ's HCUP databases provide nationally-representative procedure cost data by state, payer, and patient demographics.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics — Healthcare Practitioner Occupational Wages — BLS OEWS data on surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgical staff wages by state, used to model regional labor-cost differences in procedure pricing.
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BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis state-level price-level indices, used to adjust national procedure averages for North Dakota's cost-of-living relative to the national mean.
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FAIR Health Consumer Cost Lookup — the FAIR Health database aggregates billed and allowed amounts from over 36 billion claim records, providing a check on procedure-cost ranges by ZIP code.
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Medicare Provider Utilization & Payment Data — CMS public-use files on Medicare-allowed amounts and submitted charges by HCPCS/CPT code and state, used as a baseline for procedure-cost ranges.
Estimates are illustrative and reflect typical pricing ranges; actual costs depend on insurance coverage, surgical complexity, anesthesia type, hospital vs. ambulatory setting, and individual patient factors. Always confirm pricing directly with providers and your insurance carrier. See our methodology page for full calculation details.