Observation per hour at MercyOne Clinton Medical Center

1410 N. Fourth St, Clinton, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1427093962

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

$133.90

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.

$206.00

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.

$30.00 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $3,077.00 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $30.00 ↓ -78%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $30.00 ↓ -78%
PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICE PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICES $30.63 ↓ -77%
THE ALLIANCE THE ALLIANCE $64.29 ↓ -52%
AETNA EAP AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
AETNA AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
COVENTRY AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
MERITAIN AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
WEBTPA AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $92.75 ↓ -31%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $92.96 ↓ -31%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $95.40 ↓ -29%
QUALCARE QCCH $95.40 ↓ -29%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $95.40 ↓ -29%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $95.40 ↓ -29%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $95.40 ↓ -29%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $95.40 ↓ -29%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $95.40 ↓ -29%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $95.40 ↓ -29%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $100.70 ↓ -25%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $106.00 ↓ -21%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $106.00 ↓ -21%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $460.00 ↑ +244%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $3,077.00 ↑ +2198%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $3,077.00 ↑ +2198%

Visitor-reported prices

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Observation per hour at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $78.65 $42.76 – $108.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $70.20 $40.82 – $121.56
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $97.50 $41.28 – $108.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $76.70 $8.46 – $6,171.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $78.65 $55.59 – $112.88
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $150.00 $29.64 – $108.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $97.50 $70.20 – $108.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $235.30 $32.00 – $6,683.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →