Pillow shldr abduc inflat univ 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

$781.90

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.

$1,202.93

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.

$30.41 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $186.36 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — 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 $30.41 ↓ -96%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $30.71 ↓ -96%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $30.83 ↓ -96%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $37.27 ↓ -95%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $37.46 ↓ -95%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $37.46 ↓ -95%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $49.20 ↓ -94%
OSCAR OSCAR $50.32 ↓ -94%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
COVENTRY AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
MERITAIN AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
AETNA AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
WEBTPA AETNA $64.67 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $103.43 ↓ -87%
CIGNA CIGNA $111.82 ↓ -86%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $111.82 ↓ -86%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $111.82 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $111.82 ↓ -86%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $111.82 ↓ -86%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $111.82 ↓ -86%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $118.34 ↓ -85%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $121.13 ↓ -85%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $121.13 ↓ -85%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $121.13 ↓ -85%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $121.13 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $154.68 ↓ -80%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $158.41 ↓ -80%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $186.36 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $186.36 ↓ -76%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $186.36 ↓ -76%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pillow shldr abduc inflat univ at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines not published $443.02 – $1,127.37
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $781.90 $36.12 – $186.36
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $973.91 $76.63 – $193.55
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $781.90 $70.44 – $209.77
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $781.90 $36.12 – $186.36
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $781.90 $71.23 – $186.36
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $781.90 $32.31 – $186.36
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $781.90 $95.92 – $194.78

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →