Cath bi-dir df smarttouch 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

$4,908.31

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.

$7,551.25

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.

$23.59 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $117.34 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $23.59 ↓ -100%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $23.59 ↓ -100%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
AETNA AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
COVENTRY AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
MERITAIN AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
WEBTPA AETNA $40.72 ↓ -99%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $65.12 ↓ -99%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $70.40 ↓ -99%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $70.40 ↓ -99%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $70.40 ↓ -99%
CIGNA CIGNA $70.40 ↓ -99%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $74.51 ↓ -98%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $76.27 ↓ -98%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $76.27 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $76.27 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $76.27 ↓ -98%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $97.39 ↓ -98%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $99.74 ↓ -98%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $117.34 ↓ -98%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $117.34 ↓ -98%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $117.34 ↓ -98%

Visitor-reported prices

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Cath bi-dir df smarttouch at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $11,730.95 $2,991.39 – $7,185.20
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $8,280.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $4,909.47 $41.89 – $117.34
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $4,664.58 $55.14 – $139.28
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $4,908.66 $44.35 – $132.08
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $4,908.66 $33.21 – $117.34
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $4,908.31 $44.85 – $117.34
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $4,908.31 $27.57 – $117.34

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →