#creutz-prot.,western blot 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

$45.50

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.

$70.00

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.

$14.07 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $70.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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 $14.07 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $14.07 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $24.29 ↓ -47%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $28.31 ↓ -38%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $28.58 ↓ -37%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $28.63 ↓ -37%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $28.63 ↓ -37%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $28.63 ↓ -37%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $28.69 ↓ -37%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $28.91 ↓ -36%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $29.20 ↓ -36%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $29.21 ↓ -36%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $29.21 ↓ -36%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $29.21 ↓ -36%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $29.79 ↓ -35%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $38.85 ↓ -15%
OSCAR OSCAR $41.51 ↓ -9%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $42.00 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $42.00 ↓ -8%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $42.15 ↓ -7%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $44.45 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $45.50 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $45.50 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $45.50 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $45.50 ↑ +0%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $49.07 ↑ +8%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $58.10 ↑ +28%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $58.71 ↑ +29%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $58.71 ↑ +29%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $59.50 ↑ +31%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $70.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $70.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $70.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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#creutz-prot.,western blot at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $110.00 $10.94 – $40.43
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $532.80 $29.21 – $29.21
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $45.50 $25.62 – $70.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $45.50 $16.45 – $79.48
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $70.00 $14.07 – $70.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $45.50 $28.31 – $70.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $45.50 $17.92 – $70.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $559.80 not published

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →