Inj, gadopiclenol, 1 ml 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

$41.40

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.

$41.40

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.

$8.32 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $41.40 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 $8.32 ↓ -80%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $8.32 ↓ -80%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
WEBTPA AETNA $14.37 ↓ -65%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $22.98 ↓ -44%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $24.84 ↓ -40%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $24.84 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $24.84 ↓ -40%
CIGNA CIGNA $24.84 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $26.29 ↓ -36%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $26.91 ↓ -35%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $26.91 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $26.91 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $26.91 ↓ -35%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $34.36 ↓ -17%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $35.19 ↓ -15%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $41.40 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $41.40 ↑ +0%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $41.40 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Inj, gadopiclenol, 1 ml at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $41.00 $0.60 – $3.91
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $161.55 $8.32 – $41.40
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $27.31 $2.12 – $3.91
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $4.57 $1.87 – $4.57
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $26.00 $1.80 – $5.48
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $4.57 $2.07 – $5.06
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $4.57 $2.00 – $4.56
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $27.14 $1.48 – $3.91

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →