Chromogenic substrate assay at MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center

250 Mercy Drive, Dubuque, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1659348506

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$185.25

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.

$285.00

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.

$11.89 with UNITED HEALTHCARE vs $285.00 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
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $11.89 ↓ -94%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $11.89 ↓ -94%
PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICE PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICES $12.48 ↓ -93%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $104.31 ↓ -44%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE EAGLE WINDOW AND DOOR $165.30 ↓ -11%
WPS WISCONSIN PHYSICIAN SERVICES $170.72 ↓ -8%
THE ALLIANCE THE ALLIANCE $172.17 ↓ -7%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $228.00 ↑ +23%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $236.55 ↑ +28%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
MERITAIN AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
AETNA AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
AETNA EAP AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
COVENTRY AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
WEBTPA AETNA $237.98 ↑ +28%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $256.50 ↑ +38%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $256.50 ↑ +38%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $256.50 ↑ +38%
UNITY UNITY HMO $256.50 ↑ +38%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $256.50 ↑ +38%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $256.50 ↑ +38%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $256.50 ↑ +38%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $256.50 ↑ +38%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $285.00 ↑ +54%
STEPHENSON CTY HEALTH STEPHENSON COUNTY HEALTH $285.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $285.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $285.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chromogenic substrate assay at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $33.57 $3.50 – $33.57
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $185.25 $11.89 – $285.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $185.25 $11.89 – $285.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $185.25 $11.89 – $285.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $33.57 $7.13 – $22.11
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $33.57 $7.13 – $16.91
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $33.57 $7.13 – $18.50
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $33.57 $7.13 – $37.22

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →