Dilate biliary duct/ampulla 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

$3,833.70

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.

$5,898.00

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.

$1,185.50 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $5,898.00 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 $1,185.50 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $1,185.50 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $2,046.61 ↓ -47%
CIGNA CIGNA $3,538.80 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $3,538.80 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $3,745.23 ↓ -2%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,833.70 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,833.70 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,833.70 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $3,833.70 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $4,895.34 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $5,013.30 ↑ +31%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $5,898.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $5,898.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $5,898.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Dilate biliary duct/ampulla at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $4,826.09 $120.69 – $1,773.59
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,273.60 $120.69 – $320.99
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $1,273.60 $120.69 – $1,464.64
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $1,273.60 $120.69 – $320.99
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $1,924.05 $120.69 – $2,133.29
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $1,273.60 $120.69 – $320.99
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $3,249.14 $120.69 – $2,347.50
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Bettendorf Bettendorf $1,273.60 $120.69 – $320.99

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →