Cath entrl fd nutri 5fr 40cm 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

$44.43

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.

$68.35

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.

$13.74 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $68.35 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $13.74 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $13.74 ↓ -69%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $23.72 ↓ -47%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $37.93 ↓ -15%
CIGNA CIGNA $41.01 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $41.01 ↓ -8%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $41.01 ↓ -8%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $41.01 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $43.40 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $44.43 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $44.43 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $44.43 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $44.43 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $56.73 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $58.10 ↑ +31%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $68.35 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $68.35 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $68.35 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Cath entrl fd nutri 5fr 40cm at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $18.40 $7.77 – $23.85
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $44.43 $24.40 – $68.35
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $35.54 $21.65 – $54.68
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $44.43 $25.84 – $76.93
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $44.43 $19.34 – $68.35
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $44.43 $26.12 – $68.35
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $44.43 $16.06 – $68.35
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $44.43 $35.18 – $71.44

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →