Infectious agent nucleic acid amplified probe sars-cov-2/covid-19 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

$130.00

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.

$200.00

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.

$40.20 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $200.00 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $40.20 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $40.20 ↓ -69%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $49.71 ↓ -62%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $50.20 ↓ -61%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -61%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -61%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -61%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $50.40 ↓ -61%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.79 ↓ -61%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $51.29 ↓ -61%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $51.31 ↓ -61%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $51.31 ↓ -61%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $51.31 ↓ -61%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $51.31 ↓ -61%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $52.34 ↓ -60%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $68.24 ↓ -48%
WEBTPA AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $69.40 ↓ -47%
OSCAR OSCAR $72.91 ↓ -44%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $74.04 ↓ -43%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $86.20 ↓ -34%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $103.13 ↓ -21%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $103.13 ↓ -21%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $120.00 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $120.00 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $127.00 ↓ -2%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $130.00 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $130.00 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $130.00 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $130.00 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $166.00 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $170.00 ↑ +31%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $200.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $200.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Infectious agent nucleic acid amplified probe sars-cov-2/covid-19 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $103.20 $21.99 – $84.01
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $123.00 $51.31 – $51.31
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $187.20 $51.31 – $288.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $187.20 $51.31 – $324.17
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $148.85 $49.71 – $229.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $807.00 $50.28 – $288.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $152.75 $49.71 – $181.33
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $187.20 $51.31 – $301.02

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →