Chylomicron screen, bf - sendout 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

$84.50

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.

$130.00

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.

$26.13 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $130.00 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 $26.13 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $26.13 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $45.11 ↓ -47%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $59.60 ↓ -29%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $60.18 ↓ -29%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $60.27 ↓ -29%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $60.27 ↓ -29%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $60.27 ↓ -29%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $60.42 ↓ -28%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $60.87 ↓ -28%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $61.48 ↓ -27%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $61.50 ↓ -27%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $61.50 ↓ -27%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $61.50 ↓ -27%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $62.73 ↓ -26%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $78.00 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $78.00 ↓ -8%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $81.80 ↓ -3%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $82.55 ↓ -2%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $84.50 ↑ +0%
OSCAR OSCAR $87.39 ↑ +3%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $88.74 ↑ +5%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $103.32 ↑ +22%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $107.90 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $110.50 ↑ +31%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $123.62 ↑ +46%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $123.62 ↑ +46%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $130.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $130.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $130.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Chylomicron screen, bf - sendout at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $123.20 $28.30 – $86.10
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $177.00 $61.50 – $61.50
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $84.50 $47.58 – $130.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $84.50 $33.28 – $130.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $186.00 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $155.40 $24.48 – $52.56
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $270.40 $59.60 – $416.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $123.20 $36.90 – $86.10

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →