Appl modality 1/> areas paraffin bath 97018 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

$55.25

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.

$85.00

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.

$5.42 with MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS vs $211.00 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
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.42 ↓ -90%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.42 ↓ -90%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.42 ↓ -90%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.47 ↓ -90%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.53 ↓ -90%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.64 ↓ -90%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $6.39 ↓ -88%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $6.45 ↓ -88%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $6.47 ↓ -88%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $7.35 ↓ -87%
OSCAR OSCAR $7.86 ↓ -86%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $7.98 ↓ -86%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $9.29 ↓ -83%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $11.12 ↓ -80%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $11.12 ↓ -80%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $17.09 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $17.09 ↓ -69%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $29.50 ↓ -47%
CIGNA CIGNA $51.00 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $51.00 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $53.98 ↓ -2%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.25 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.25 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.25 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $55.25 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $70.55 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $72.25 ↑ +31%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $85.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $85.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $85.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $189.00 ↑ +242%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $189.00 ↑ +242%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $211.00 ↑ +282%

Visitor-reported prices

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Appl modality 1/> areas paraffin bath 97018 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $93.79 $5.59 – $34.47
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $49.80 $7.89 – $7.89
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $53.95 $32.86 – $83.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $97.00 $26.62 – $97.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $55.80 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $55.80 $31.62 – $55.48
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $40.30 $5.42 – $301.50
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $119.14 $5.59 – $78.48

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →