Zika virus dna/rna amp probe 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

$111.15

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.

$171.00

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.

$34.37 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $171.00 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $34.37 ↓ -69%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $34.37 ↓ -69%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $49.71 ↓ -55%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $50.20 ↓ -55%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -55%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -55%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.28 ↓ -55%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $50.40 ↓ -55%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $50.79 ↓ -54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $51.29 ↓ -54%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $51.31 ↓ -54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $51.31 ↓ -54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS $51.31 ↓ -54%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $52.34 ↓ -53%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
COVENTRY AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
MERITAIN AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
WEBTPA AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
AETNA AETNA $59.34 ↓ -47%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $68.24 ↓ -39%
OSCAR OSCAR $72.91 ↓ -34%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $74.04 ↓ -33%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $86.20 ↓ -22%
CIGNA CIGNA $102.60 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $102.60 ↓ -8%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $103.13 ↓ -7%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $103.13 ↓ -7%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $108.59 ↓ -2%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $111.15 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $111.15 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $111.15 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $111.15 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $141.93 ↑ +28%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $145.35 ↑ +31%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $171.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $171.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $171.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Zika virus dna/rna amp probe at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $103.20 $21.99 – $79.84
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $171.00 $34.37 – $171.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $103.20 $30.79 – $79.84
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $103.20 $3.50 – $79.84
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $103.20 $26.52 – $53.88
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $103.20 $30.79 – $74.45
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $103.20 $29.38 – $66.70
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $103.20 $21.82 – $79.84

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →