Cytopathology cervical/vaginal thin layer manual screening 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

$83.85

Cash price

?

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.

$129.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$19.64 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $129.00 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $19.64 ↓ -77%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $19.83 ↓ -76%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.85 ↓ -76%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.85 ↓ -76%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $19.85 ↓ -76%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $19.90 ↓ -76%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $20.05 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $20.25 ↓ -76%
STEPHENSON CTY HEALTH STEPHENSON COUNTY HEALTH $20.26 ↓ -76%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $20.26 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $20.26 ↓ -76%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $20.26 ↓ -76%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $20.46 ↓ -76%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $20.67 ↓ -75%
PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICE PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICES $21.27 ↓ -75%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $26.95 ↓ -68%
OSCAR OSCAR $27.64 ↓ -67%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $31.73 ↓ -62%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $34.04 ↓ -59%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $40.72 ↓ -51%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $40.72 ↓ -51%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $47.21 ↓ -44%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE EAGLE WINDOW AND DOOR $74.82 ↓ -11%
WPS WISCONSIN PHYSICIAN SERVICES $77.27 ↓ -8%
THE ALLIANCE THE ALLIANCE $77.93 ↓ -7%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $103.20 ↑ +23%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $107.07 ↑ +28%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
MERITAIN AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
AETNA AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
WEBTPA AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
AETNA EAP AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
COVENTRY AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $107.72 ↑ +28%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $116.10 ↑ +38%
UNITY UNITY HMO $116.10 ↑ +38%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $116.10 ↑ +38%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $116.10 ↑ +38%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $116.10 ↑ +38%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $116.10 ↑ +38%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $116.10 ↑ +38%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $116.10 ↑ +38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $129.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $129.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Cytopathology cervical/vaginal thin layer manual screening at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $55.00 $3.50 – $55.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $70.85 $20.26 – $109.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $70.85 $19.64 – $109.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $70.85 $20.26 – $113.93
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $131.95 $19.64 – $203.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $109.00 $20.26 – $109.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $182.65 $19.64 – $281.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $120.25 $19.64 – $131.35

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →