Assay of prostaglandin at MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center

515 College St, Cedar Falls, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1942241955

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$150.80

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$232.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$40.47 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $232.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $40.47 ↓ -73%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $40.87 ↓ -73%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $40.93 ↓ -73%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $40.93 ↓ -73%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $40.93 ↓ -73%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $41.03 ↓ -73%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $41.34 ↓ -73%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $41.75 ↓ -72%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $41.77 ↓ -72%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $41.77 ↓ -72%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $42.19 ↓ -72%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $42.61 ↓ -72%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $54.52 ↓ -64%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $54.52 ↓ -64%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $55.55 ↓ -63%
OSCAR OSCAR $64.10 ↓ -57%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $69.34 ↓ -54%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $70.17 ↓ -53%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $75.86 ↓ -50%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $83.96 ↓ -44%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $83.96 ↓ -44%
AETNA AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
COVENTRY AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
MERITAIN AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
AETNA EAP AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
WEBTPA AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $113.65 ↓ -25%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $164.72 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $164.72 ↑ +9%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $164.72 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $164.72 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $164.72 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $164.72 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $211.12 ↑ +40%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $232.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $232.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of prostaglandin at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $126.60 $41.77 – $41.77
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $162.50 $98.98 – $250.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $162.50 $95.55 – $250.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $250.00 $68.60 – $250.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $162.50 $40.47 – $250.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $64.35 $25.34 – $99.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $141.60 not published
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $150.80 $40.47 – $232.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →