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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (with contrast) 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

$2,807.00

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.

$2,807.00

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.

$770.24 with MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS vs $2,807.00 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
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $770.24 ↓ -73%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $773.05 ↓ -72%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $784.42 ↓ -72%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $788.21 ↓ -72%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $805.61 ↓ -71%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $814.03 ↓ -71%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $822.17 ↓ -71%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $830.31 ↓ -70%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $845.75 ↓ -70%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $862.87 ↓ -69%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $1,082.66 ↓ -61%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $1,367.57 ↓ -51%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $1,636.20 ↓ -42%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $1,636.20 ↓ -42%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $2,021.04 ↓ -28%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $2,021.04 ↓ -28%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $2,144.55 ↓ -24%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $2,144.55 ↓ -24%
WEBTPA AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
COVENTRY AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
AETNA AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
MERITAIN AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
AETNA EAP AETNA $2,630.16 ↓ -6%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $2,700.33 ↓ -4%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,750.86 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,750.86 ↓ -2%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,750.86 ↓ -2%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,750.86 ↓ -2%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,750.86 ↓ -2%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,750.86 ↓ -2%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $2,807.00 ↑ +0%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $2,807.00 ↑ +0%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $2,807.00 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (with contrast) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $2,626.14 $53.20 – $965.10
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,214.71 $53.20 – $800.19
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $1,323.00 $341.85 – $478.59
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $1,626.95 $312.99 – $2,503.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $1,824.55 $1,111.29 – $2,807.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,071.55 $321.26 – $3,187.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $1,923.35 $328.68 – $2,959.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $4,165.00 $329.29 – $4,165.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →