Alprostadil for injection 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

$252.70

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.

$601.65

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.

$0.57 with BCBS - NE vs $423.61 with MultiPlan — 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
BCBS - NE Commercial|BluePrint $0.57 ↓ -100%
BCBS - NE Commercial|All Other Plans $0.76 ↓ -100%
United Commercial|All Plans $0.78 ↓ -100%
Wellmark Commercial|PPO $6.56 ↓ -97%
Wellmark Commercial|HMO $6.56 ↓ -97%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $19.51 ↓ -92%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $20.43 ↓ -92%
Medica Commercial|ACO $21.11 ↓ -92%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $74.76 ↓ -70%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $139.55 ↓ -45%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $229.25 ↓ -9%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $259.15 ↑ +3%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $299.02 ↑ +18%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $353.84 ↑ +40%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $373.77 ↑ +48%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $373.77 ↑ +48%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $423.61 ↑ +68%

Visitor-reported prices

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Alprostadil for injection at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $263.30 not published
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $313.41 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $313.41 $177.60 – $381.32
Sanford Sheldon Medical Center Sheldon $90.76 $32.33 – $102.10
CHI Health Mercy Corning Corning $288.80 $6.56 – $488.40
CHI Health Missouri Valley Missouri Valley $294.81 $6.56 – $488.40

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →