Decalcification 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

$114.40

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.

$176.00

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.

$8.47 with GEHA vs $176.00 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
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.47 ↓ -93%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $8.47 ↓ -93%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.47 ↓ -93%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $35.38 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $35.38 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $61.07 ↓ -47%
CIGNA CIGNA $105.60 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $105.60 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $111.76 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $114.40 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $114.40 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $114.40 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $114.40 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $146.08 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $149.60 ↑ +31%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $176.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $176.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $176.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Decalcification at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $98.56 $7.24 – $36.22
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $48.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $100.10 $6.73 – $154.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $72.15 $43.94 – $111.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $72.15 $41.96 – $124.94
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $100.10 $8.47 – $80.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $75.40 $8.47 – $116.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $72.15 $57.13 – $116.02

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →