Topotecan 4 mg/4 ml (1 mg/ml) intravenous solution 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

$643.90

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.

$643.90

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.

$23.12 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $115.00 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $23.12 ↓ -96%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $23.12 ↓ -96%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
AETNA AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
COVENTRY AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
MERITAIN AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
WEBTPA AETNA $39.91 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $63.83 ↓ -90%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $69.00 ↓ -89%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $69.00 ↓ -89%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $69.00 ↓ -89%
CIGNA CIGNA $69.00 ↓ -89%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $73.03 ↓ -89%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $74.75 ↓ -88%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $74.75 ↓ -88%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $74.75 ↓ -88%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $74.75 ↓ -88%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $95.45 ↓ -85%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $97.75 ↓ -85%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $115.00 ↓ -82%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $115.00 ↓ -82%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $115.00 ↓ -82%

Visitor-reported prices

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Topotecan 4 mg/4 ml (1 mg/ml) intravenous solution at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $51.64 $0.94 – $6.63
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $570.18 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $188.75 $41.06 – $115.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $188.75 $45.53 – $115.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $188.75 $43.47 – $129.44
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $188.75 $32.55 – $115.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $188.75 $43.95 – $115.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $188.75 $27.03 – $115.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →