Brach/thor cath 2nd 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

$2,079.35

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.

$3,199.00

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.

$643.00 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $3,199.00 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $643.00 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $643.00 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $1,110.05 ↓ -47%
CIGNA CIGNA $1,919.40 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $1,919.40 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $2,031.37 ↓ -2%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,079.35 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,079.35 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,079.35 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $2,079.35 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $2,655.17 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $2,719.15 ↑ +31%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $3,199.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $3,199.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $3,199.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brach/thor cath 2nd at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $2,780.00 $235.75 – $959.77
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $2,336.40 not published
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $3,199.00 $643.00 – $3,199.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $2,453.40 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $2,453.40 $928.00 – $2,984.97
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $2,780.00 $235.75 – $628.05
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $2,780.00 $235.75 – $1,985.26
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $2,780.00 $235.75 – $628.05

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →