Injection radioactive tracer sentinel node (both sides) 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

$1,662.05

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$2,557.00

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.

$358.66 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $1,705.00 with STEPHENSON CTY 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 $358.66 ↓ -78%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $362.17 ↓ -78%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $363.58 ↓ -78%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $389.45 ↓ -77%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $389.45 ↓ -77%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $389.45 ↓ -77%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $393.35 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $397.24 ↓ -76%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $401.38 ↓ -76%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $405.35 ↓ -76%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $528.55 ↓ -68%
OSCAR OSCAR $542.14 ↓ -67%
PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICE PREFERRED HEALTH CHOICES $608.69 ↓ -63%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $622.33 ↓ -63%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $624.03 ↓ -62%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $667.64 ↓ -60%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $798.78 ↓ -52%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $798.78 ↓ -52%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE EAGLE WINDOW AND DOOR $988.90 ↓ -41%
WPS WISCONSIN PHYSICIAN SERVICES $1,021.30 ↓ -39%
THE ALLIANCE THE ALLIANCE $1,029.99 ↓ -38%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $1,364.00 ↓ -18%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $1,415.15 ↓ -15%
MERITAIN AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
AETNA EAP AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
AETNA AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
WEBTPA AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
COVENTRY AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $1,423.68 ↓ -14%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
UNITY UNITY HMO $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $1,534.50 ↓ -8%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $1,705.00 ↑ +3%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $1,705.00 ↑ +3%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $1,705.00 ↑ +3%
STEPHENSON CTY HEALTH STEPHENSON COUNTY HEALTH $1,705.00 ↑ +3%

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection radioactive tracer sentinel node (both sides) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $796.58 $28.85 – $796.58
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $75.00 not published
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $1,691.00 $8.74 – $1,127.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $1,400.10 $367.62 – $1,436.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $78.60 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $78.60 $95.63 – $2,679.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $2,244.45 $8.74 – $3,576.15
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $408.00 $28.85 – $333.07

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →