Generator emblem MRI sicd subq 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

$22,347.00

Cash price

?

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.

$34,380.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$151.37 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $753.08 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $151.37 ↓ -99%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $151.37 ↓ -99%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
AETNA AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
COVENTRY AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
MERITAIN AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
WEBTPA AETNA $261.32 ↓ -99%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $301.23 ↓ -99%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $301.23 ↓ -99%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $301.23 ↓ -99%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $451.85 ↓ -98%
CIGNA CIGNA $451.85 ↓ -98%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $478.21 ↓ -98%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $489.50 ↓ -98%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $489.50 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $489.50 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $489.50 ↓ -98%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $625.06 ↓ -97%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $640.12 ↓ -97%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $753.08 ↓ -97%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $753.08 ↓ -97%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $753.08 ↓ -97%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Generator emblem MRI sicd subq at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $50,843.26 $12,413.40 – $29,816.50
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $45,000.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $22,347.00 $268.85 – $753.08
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $26,000.00 $371.35 – $938.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $22,347.00 $411.20 – $835.02
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $22,347.00 $209.94 – $741.84
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $22,347.00 $287.83 – $753.08
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $22,347.00 $176.97 – $753.08

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →