Albumin serum plasma or whole blood at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center

1111 6th Ave, Des Moines, IA · MercyOne · Nonprofit · NPI 1234567893

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

$4,225.00

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.

$130.00

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.

$4.79 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $130.00 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $4.79 ↓ -100%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $4.84 ↓ -100%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.85 ↓ -100%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.85 ↓ -100%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.85 ↓ -100%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $4.86 ↓ -100%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.90 ↓ -100%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.95 ↓ -100%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.95 ↓ -100%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $4.95 ↓ -100%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.95 ↓ -100%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.05 ↓ -100%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $6.58 ↓ -100%
OSCAR OSCAR $7.03 ↓ -100%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $7.14 ↓ -100%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $8.32 ↓ -100%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $9.09 ↓ -100%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $9.95 ↓ -100%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $9.95 ↓ -100%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $26.13 ↓ -99%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $26.13 ↓ -99%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
COVENTRY AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
MERITAIN AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
WEBTPA AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
AETNA AETNA $45.11 ↓ -99%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $78.00 ↓ -98%
CIGNA CIGNA $78.00 ↓ -98%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $82.55 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↓ -98%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↓ -98%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↓ -98%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $107.90 ↓ -97%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $110.50 ↓ -97%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $130.00 ↓ -97%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $130.00 ↓ -97%

Visitor-reported prices

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Albumin serum plasma or whole blood at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $33.57 $2.97 – $12.34
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $92.40 $4.95 – $4.95
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $347.10 $4.79 – $68.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $57.85 $35.24 – $89.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $57.85 $33.64 – $100.18
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $57.85 $34.02 – $89.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $27.95 $4.79 – $43.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $89.00 $24.42 – $89.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →