Surgical pathology level 1 gross examination only 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

$65.52

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$156.00

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.

$22.28 with Medica vs $132.60 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
Medica Commercial|ACO $22.28 ↓ -66%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $23.26 ↓ -64%
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $23.26 ↓ -64%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $23.40 ↓ -64%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $23.71 ↓ -64%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $23.87 ↓ -64%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $23.87 ↓ -64%
United Medicare|All Plans $23.87 ↓ -64%
PACE Medicare|All Plans $23.87 ↓ -64%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $23.87 ↓ -64%
Todays Options Medicare|All Plans $24.35 ↓ -63%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $24.59 ↓ -62%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $25.06 ↓ -62%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $25.06 ↓ -62%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $30.12 ↓ -54%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $31.54 ↓ -52%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $43.68 ↓ -33%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $48.21 ↓ -26%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $48.21 ↓ -26%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $48.21 ↓ -26%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $52.99 ↓ -19%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $55.44 ↓ -15%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $55.44 ↓ -15%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $55.44 ↓ -15%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $55.44 ↓ -15%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $71.76 ↑ +10%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $81.12 ↑ +24%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $81.12 ↑ +24%
QuikTrip Commercial|All Plans $93.60 ↑ +43%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $101.40 ↑ +55%
PHCS Commercial|All Plans $110.76 ↑ +69%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $117.00 ↑ +79%
United Commercial|All Plans $117.00 ↑ +79%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $132.60 ↑ +102%

Visitor-reported prices

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Surgical pathology level 1 gross examination only at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $33.60 $23.44 – $29.25
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $89.05 $2.77 – $137.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $72.15 $41.96 – $124.94
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $89.05 $24.96 – $137.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $118.30 $24.96 – $182.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $72.15 $57.13 – $116.02
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $149.00 $24.96 – $149.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $96.85 $24.96 – $137.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →