Ghs insertion of needle - bone 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

$158.76

Cash price

?

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.

$378.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$56.70 with Centene vs $3,259.25 with Timpte — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $56.70 ↓ -64%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $105.84 ↓ -33%
Medica Commercial|ACO $109.18 ↓ -31%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $173.88 ↑ +10%
United Commercial|All Plans $177.66 ↑ +12%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $196.56 ↑ +24%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $196.56 ↑ +24%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $226.80 ↑ +43%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $268.38 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $283.50 ↑ +79%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $321.30 ↑ +102%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $378.86 ↑ +139%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $378.86 ↑ +139%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $386.29 ↑ +143%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $388.89 ↑ +145%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $388.89 ↑ +145%
United Medicare|All Plans $388.89 ↑ +145%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $388.89 ↑ +145%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $388.89 ↑ +145%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $396.67 ↑ +150%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $400.56 ↑ +152%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $408.33 ↑ +157%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $408.33 ↑ +157%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $701.00 ↑ +342%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $863.34 ↑ +444%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $953.00 ↑ +500%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $1,302.00 ↑ +720%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $2,834.13 ↑ +1685%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $2,834.13 ↑ +1685%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $2,834.13 ↑ +1685%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $3,259.25 ↑ +1953%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $3,259.25 ↑ +1953%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $3,259.25 ↑ +1953%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $3,259.25 ↑ +1953%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Ghs insertion of needle - bone at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $168.00 $181.35 – $381.97
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $128.70 $60.04 – $198.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $551.00 $110.75 – $551.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $198.00 $18.43 – $198.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $799.00 $219.25 – $799.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $198.00 $18.96 – $162.20
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $202.80 $219.70 – $381.97
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $202.80 $114.92 – $214.62

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →