Microsatellite instability 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

$552.50

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.

$850.00

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.

$170.85 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $850.00 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $170.85 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $170.85 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $294.95 ↓ -47%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $337.75 ↓ -39%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $341.06 ↓ -38%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $341.59 ↓ -38%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $341.59 ↓ -38%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $341.59 ↓ -38%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $342.39 ↓ -38%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $345.00 ↓ -38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $348.42 ↓ -37%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $348.56 ↓ -37%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $348.56 ↓ -37%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $348.56 ↓ -37%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $355.53 ↓ -36%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $463.58 ↓ -16%
OSCAR OSCAR $495.30 ↓ -10%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $502.97 ↓ -9%
CIGNA CIGNA $510.00 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $510.00 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $539.75 ↓ -2%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $552.50 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $552.50 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $552.50 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $552.50 ↑ +0%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $585.58 ↑ +6%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $700.61 ↑ +27%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $700.61 ↑ +27%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $705.50 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $722.50 ↑ +31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $850.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $850.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $850.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Microsatellite instability at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $697.60 $109.59 – $488.01
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $552.50 $311.10 – $850.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $552.50 $217.60 – $850.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $552.50 $199.75 – $948.49
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $697.60 $197.01 – $488.01
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $697.60 $3.50 – $488.01
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $697.60 $132.17 – $365.99
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $697.60 $166.39 – $371.01

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →