Phosphorus 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

$80.60

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.

$124.00

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.

$4.59 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $123.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $4.59 ↓ -94%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $4.64 ↓ -94%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.65 ↓ -94%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.65 ↓ -94%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $4.65 ↓ -94%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.65 ↓ -94%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.69 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $4.74 ↓ -94%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.74 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.74 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $4.74 ↓ -94%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $4.83 ↓ -94%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $6.30 ↓ -92%
OSCAR OSCAR $6.74 ↓ -92%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $6.84 ↓ -92%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $7.96 ↓ -90%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $9.53 ↓ -88%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $9.53 ↓ -88%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $24.72 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $24.72 ↓ -69%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $42.68 ↓ -47%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $73.80 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $73.80 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $78.11 ↓ -3%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.95 ↓ -1%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.95 ↓ -1%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.95 ↓ -1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $79.95 ↓ -1%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $102.09 ↑ +27%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $104.55 ↑ +30%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $123.00 ↑ +53%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $123.00 ↑ +53%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $123.00 ↑ +53%

Visitor-reported prices

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Phosphorus at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $33.57 $2.84 – $12.34
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $46.20 $4.74 – $4.74
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $52.00 $30.24 – $90.05
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $52.00 $30.58 – $80.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $29.25 $4.59 – $45.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $52.00 $41.18 – $83.62
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $80.00 $17.01 – $62.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $52.00 $4.59 – $62.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →