Culture body fluid at MercyOne Centerville Medical Center

1 Saint Joseph Dr, Centerville, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1356391635

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

$339.00

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.

Full explanation →

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

$146.00

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.

$8.45 with MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS vs $146.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.45 ↓ -98%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.53 ↓ -97%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.62 ↓ -97%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $8.71 ↓ -97%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.79 ↓ -97%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.95 ↓ -97%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.14 ↓ -97%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $40.21 ↓ -88%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $40.80 ↓ -88%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $41.00 ↓ -88%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $56.31 ↓ -83%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $71.13 ↓ -79%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $85.10 ↓ -75%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $85.10 ↓ -75%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $105.12 ↓ -69%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $105.12 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $111.54 ↓ -67%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $111.54 ↓ -67%
COVENTRY AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
MERITAIN AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
AETNA AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
WEBTPA AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
AETNA EAP AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $136.80 ↓ -60%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $140.45 ↓ -59%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $143.08 ↓ -58%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $143.08 ↓ -58%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $143.08 ↓ -58%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $143.08 ↓ -58%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $143.08 ↓ -58%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $143.08 ↓ -58%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $146.00 ↓ -57%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $146.00 ↓ -57%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $146.00 ↓ -57%

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture body fluid at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $85.20 $8.62 – $8.62
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $94.90 $57.80 – $146.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $94.90 $55.19 – $164.34
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $510.25 $8.35 – $172.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $380.00 $8.45 – $146.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $94.90 $75.15 – $152.60
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $385.00 $8.35 – $146.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $1,050.00 $8.35 – $158.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →