Atropine 0.1 mg/ml injection syringe 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

$53.40

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.

$53.40

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.

$10.58 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $52.65 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $10.58 ↓ -80%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $10.58 ↓ -80%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
AETNA AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
COVENTRY AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
MERITAIN AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
WEBTPA AETNA $18.27 ↓ -66%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $29.22 ↓ -45%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $31.59 ↓ -41%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $31.59 ↓ -41%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $31.59 ↓ -41%
CIGNA CIGNA $31.59 ↓ -41%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $33.43 ↓ -37%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $34.22 ↓ -36%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $34.22 ↓ -36%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $34.22 ↓ -36%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $34.22 ↓ -36%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $43.70 ↓ -18%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $44.75 ↓ -16%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $52.65 ↓ -1%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $52.65 ↓ -1%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $52.65 ↓ -1%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Atropine 0.1 mg/ml injection syringe at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $3.44 $0.02 – $0.11
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $136.40 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $52.65 $7.80 – $21.85
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $46.00 $18.21 – $46.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $52.65 $8.26 – $24.59
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $52.65 $6.18 – $21.85
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $47.20 $18.04 – $47.20
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $46.00 $5.13 – $21.85

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →