Vancomycin hcl injection 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

$34.50

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.

$34.50

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.

$5.63 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $34.50 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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 $5.63 ↓ -84%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $5.69 ↓ -84%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $5.71 ↓ -83%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $6.93 ↓ -80%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $6.93 ↓ -80%
WEBTPA AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $11.97 ↓ -65%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $19.15 ↓ -44%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $20.70 ↓ -40%
CIGNA CIGNA $20.70 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $20.70 ↓ -40%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $20.70 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $21.91 ↓ -36%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $22.43 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $22.43 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $22.43 ↓ -35%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $22.43 ↓ -35%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $28.64 ↓ -17%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $29.33 ↓ -15%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $34.50 ↑ +0%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $34.50 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $34.50 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Vancomycin hcl injection at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $82.24 $0.07 – $2.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $109.31 not published
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $91.73 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $91.73 $51.98 – $111.60
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $82.88 $0.47 – $2.00
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $73.34 $1.95 – $12.93
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $47.20 $1.95 – $10.93
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $39.58 $1.95 – $39.21

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →