Cortisol total am 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

$171.60

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.

$264.00

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.

$15.80 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $264.00 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $15.80 ↓ -91%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $15.95 ↓ -91%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $15.97 ↓ -91%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $15.97 ↓ -91%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $15.97 ↓ -91%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $16.02 ↓ -91%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $16.13 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $16.29 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $16.30 ↓ -91%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $16.30 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $16.30 ↓ -91%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $16.63 ↓ -90%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $21.68 ↓ -87%
OSCAR OSCAR $23.16 ↓ -87%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $23.52 ↓ -86%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $27.38 ↓ -84%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $32.76 ↓ -81%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $32.76 ↓ -81%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $53.06 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $53.06 ↓ -69%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $91.61 ↓ -47%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $158.40 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $158.40 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $167.64 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $171.60 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $171.60 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $171.60 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $171.60 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $219.12 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $224.40 ↑ +31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $264.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $264.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $264.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Cortisol total am at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $55.00 $9.78 – $25.37
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $144.60 $16.30 – $16.30
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $244.40 $15.80 – $376.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $122.20 $74.43 – $188.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $122.20 $71.06 – $211.61
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $182.00 $15.80 – $280.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $122.20 $71.85 – $188.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $159.25 $15.80 – $245.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →