Catheterization collection of specimen single patient all places of service 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

$17.55

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.

$27.00

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.

$5.43 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $27.00 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $5.43 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $5.43 ↓ -69%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.57 ↓ -51%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.57 ↓ -51%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $8.57 ↓ -51%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.15 ↓ -48%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.15 ↓ -48%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.15 ↓ -48%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.24 ↓ -47%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.34 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $9.37 ↓ -47%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.53 ↓ -46%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $12.42 ↓ -29%
OSCAR OSCAR $13.27 ↓ -24%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $13.48 ↓ -23%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $15.69 ↓ -11%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $16.20 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $16.20 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $17.15 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $17.55 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $17.55 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $17.55 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $17.55 ↑ +0%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $18.77 ↑ +7%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $18.77 ↑ +7%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $22.41 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $22.95 ↑ +31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $27.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $27.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $27.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Catheterization collection of specimen single patient all places of service at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $18.40 $1.80 – $22.96
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $22.75 $8.57 – $35.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $49.40 $8.57 – $76.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $70.20 $9.15 – $108.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $70.20 $9.15 – $108.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $125.00 $8.57 – $125.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $108.00 $9.15 – $108.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $70.20 $9.15 – $108.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →