Infectious agent nucleic acid amplified probe sars-cov-2/covid-19 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

$152.75

Cash price

?

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.

Full explanation →

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

$235.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$49.71 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $235.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $49.71 ↓ -67%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $50.20 ↓ -67%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -67%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -67%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -67%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $50.40 ↓ -67%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.79 ↓ -67%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $51.29 ↓ -66%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $51.31 ↓ -66%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $51.31 ↓ -66%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $51.31 ↓ -66%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $51.82 ↓ -66%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $52.34 ↓ -66%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $55.23 ↓ -64%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $55.23 ↓ -64%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $68.24 ↓ -55%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $76.85 ↓ -50%
OSCAR OSCAR $78.75 ↓ -48%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $85.17 ↓ -44%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $86.20 ↓ -44%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $103.13 ↓ -32%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $103.13 ↓ -32%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $166.85 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $166.85 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $166.85 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $166.85 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $166.85 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $166.85 ↑ +9%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
MERITAIN AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
WEBTPA AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
AETNA AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
COVENTRY AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
AETNA EAP AETNA $181.33 ↑ +19%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $213.85 ↑ +40%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $235.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Infectious agent nucleic acid amplified probe sars-cov-2/covid-19 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $123.00 $51.31 – $51.31
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $187.20 $51.31 – $288.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $187.20 $51.31 – $324.17
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $148.85 $49.71 – $229.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $807.00 $50.28 – $288.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $187.20 $51.31 – $301.02
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $200.00 $40.20 – $200.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $130.00 $40.20 – $200.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →