Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs

800 Mercy Drive, Council Bluffs, IA · Chihealth · · NPI 1265517759

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$730.38

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.

$1,739.00

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.

$199.71 with Medica vs $3,489.13 with Timpte — 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
Medica Commercial|ACO $199.71 ↓ -73%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $260.85 ↓ -64%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $486.92 ↓ -33%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $799.94 ↑ +10%
United Commercial|All Plans $817.33 ↑ +12%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $890.15 ↑ +22%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $890.15 ↑ +22%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $904.28 ↑ +24%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $904.28 ↑ +24%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $907.61 ↑ +24%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $913.71 ↑ +25%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $913.71 ↑ +25%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $913.71 ↑ +25%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $913.71 ↑ +25%
United Medicare|All Plans $913.71 ↑ +25%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $931.98 ↑ +28%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $941.12 ↑ +29%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $959.40 ↑ +31%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $959.40 ↑ +31%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $1,043.40 ↑ +43%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $1,234.69 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $1,304.25 ↑ +79%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,478.15 ↑ +102%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $1,701.00 ↑ +133%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $2,028.44 ↑ +178%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $2,322.00 ↑ +218%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $3,034.03 ↑ +315%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $3,034.03 ↑ +315%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $3,034.03 ↑ +315%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $3,489.13 ↑ +378%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $3,489.13 ↑ +378%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $3,489.13 ↑ +378%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $3,489.13 ↑ +378%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $912.60 $897.45 – $988.65
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $1,042.60 $572.63 – $1,812.24
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $391.00 $29.61 – $225.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,661.13 $663.07 – $2,343.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $1,333.80 $1,056.16 – $2,144.75
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $10,246.00 $29.61 – $10,246.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $6,659.90 $29.61 – $10,246.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $2,052.00 $563.07 – $2,052.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →