CT guidance for percutaneous drain w/catheter placement supervision & interpretation 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

$1,162.85

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.

$1,789.00

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.

$323.01 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $1,607.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $323.01 ↓ -72%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $323.01 ↓ -72%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
AETNA AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
COVENTRY AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
MERITAIN AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
WEBTPA AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $557.63 ↓ -52%
CIGNA CIGNA $964.20 ↓ -17%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $964.20 ↓ -17%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $1,020.45 ↓ -12%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,044.55 ↓ -10%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,044.55 ↓ -10%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,044.55 ↓ -10%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,044.55 ↓ -10%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $1,333.81 ↑ +15%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $1,365.95 ↑ +17%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $1,607.00 ↑ +38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $1,607.00 ↑ +38%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $1,607.00 ↑ +38%

Visitor-reported prices

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CT guidance for percutaneous drain w/catheter placement supervision & interpretation at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $1,383.60 $49.47 – $508.47
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $969.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $554.45 $304.52 – $853.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,076.40 $468.65 – $1,656.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $1,789.00 $359.59 – $1,789.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $11,156.23 $0.96 – $7,756.86
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $1,058.40 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $118.20 $143.81 – $2,679.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →