Antistreptolysin o screen 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

$48.75

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.

$75.00

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.

$5.59 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $75.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $5.59 ↓ -89%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $5.64 ↓ -88%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.65 ↓ -88%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.65 ↓ -88%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.65 ↓ -88%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $5.67 ↓ -88%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.71 ↓ -88%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $5.77 ↓ -88%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.77 ↓ -88%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.77 ↓ -88%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.77 ↓ -88%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.89 ↓ -88%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $7.67 ↓ -84%
OSCAR OSCAR $8.20 ↓ -83%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $8.33 ↓ -83%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $9.69 ↓ -80%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $11.60 ↓ -76%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $11.60 ↓ -76%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.08 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $15.08 ↓ -69%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $26.03 ↓ -47%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $45.00 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $45.00 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $47.63 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $48.75 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $48.75 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $48.75 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $48.75 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $62.25 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $63.75 ↑ +31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $75.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $75.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $75.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Antistreptolysin o screen at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $48.57 $3.46 – $17.85
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $53.40 $5.77 – $5.77
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $48.75 $5.59 – $75.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $48.75 $29.69 – $75.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $48.75 $28.35 – $84.42
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $14.95 $5.59 – $23.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $48.75 $28.67 – $75.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $14.95 $5.41 – $23.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →