Procalcitonin 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

$250.90

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.

$386.00

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.

$26.38 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $369.00 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 $26.38 ↓ -89%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $26.64 ↓ -89%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $26.68 ↓ -89%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $26.68 ↓ -89%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $26.68 ↓ -89%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $26.74 ↓ -89%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $26.94 ↓ -89%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $27.21 ↓ -89%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $27.22 ↓ -89%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $27.22 ↓ -89%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $27.22 ↓ -89%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $27.76 ↓ -89%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $36.20 ↓ -86%
OSCAR OSCAR $38.68 ↓ -85%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $39.28 ↓ -84%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $45.73 ↓ -82%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $54.71 ↓ -78%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $54.71 ↓ -78%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $74.17 ↓ -70%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $74.17 ↓ -70%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
AETNA AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
COVENTRY AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
MERITAIN AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
WEBTPA AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $128.04 ↓ -49%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $221.40 ↓ -12%
CIGNA CIGNA $221.40 ↓ -12%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $234.32 ↓ -7%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $239.85 ↓ -4%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $239.85 ↓ -4%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $239.85 ↓ -4%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $239.85 ↓ -4%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $306.27 ↑ +22%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $313.65 ↑ +25%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $369.00 ↑ +47%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $369.00 ↑ +47%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $369.00 ↑ +47%

Visitor-reported prices

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Procalcitonin at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $55.20 $16.33 – $41.69
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $228.60 $27.22 – $27.22
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $198.25 $26.38 – $305.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $258.70 $157.57 – $398.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $258.70 $26.68 – $398.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $182.00 $26.38 – $280.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $258.70 $26.68 – $398.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $119.60 $26.38 – $184.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →