Finger joint sz00 swanson w/grommets 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

$2,105.74

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.

$3,239.60

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.

$177.92 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $885.15 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — 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 $177.92 ↓ -92%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $177.92 ↓ -92%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
AETNA AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
COVENTRY AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
MERITAIN AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
WEBTPA AETNA $307.15 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $354.06 ↓ -83%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $354.06 ↓ -83%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $354.06 ↓ -83%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $531.09 ↓ -75%
CIGNA CIGNA $531.09 ↓ -75%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $562.07 ↓ -73%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $575.35 ↓ -73%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $575.35 ↓ -73%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $575.35 ↓ -73%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $575.35 ↓ -73%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $734.67 ↓ -65%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $752.38 ↓ -64%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $885.15 ↓ -58%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $885.15 ↓ -58%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $885.15 ↓ -58%

Visitor-reported prices

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Finger joint sz00 swanson w/grommets at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines not published $201.73 – $513.36
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $2,105.74 $316.00 – $885.15
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $2,000.70 $436.48 – $1,102.50
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $2,105.74 $334.59 – $996.32
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,105.74 $250.50 – $885.15
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $2,105.74 $338.30 – $885.15
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $2,105.74 $208.01 – $885.15
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $2,105.74 $455.59 – $925.16

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →