Transferrin 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

$150.15

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.

$231.00

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.

$12.36 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $231.00 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 $12.36 ↓ -92%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $12.48 ↓ -92%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.50 ↓ -92%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.50 ↓ -92%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.50 ↓ -92%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $12.53 ↓ -92%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.63 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.75 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $12.76 ↓ -92%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $12.76 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $12.76 ↓ -92%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $13.02 ↓ -91%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $16.97 ↓ -89%
OSCAR OSCAR $18.13 ↓ -88%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $18.41 ↓ -88%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $21.44 ↓ -86%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $25.65 ↓ -83%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $25.65 ↓ -83%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $46.43 ↓ -69%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $46.43 ↓ -69%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $80.16 ↓ -47%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $138.60 ↓ -8%
CIGNA CIGNA $138.60 ↓ -8%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $146.69 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $150.15 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $150.15 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $150.15 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $150.15 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $191.73 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $196.35 ↑ +31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $231.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $231.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $231.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Transferrin at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $64.28 $7.66 – $23.62
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $73.20 $12.76 – $12.76
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $128.05 $12.36 – $197.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $109.85 $66.91 – $169.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $109.85 $12.63 – $190.23
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $611.65 $9.09 – $89.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $109.85 $64.59 – $169.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $154.05 $12.36 – $237.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →