Culture screening strep group a at MercyOne Elkader Medical Center

901 Davidson St. NW, Elkader, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1184645434

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

$65.65

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.

$101.00

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.

$40.15 with BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $81.53 with CLAIMDOC — 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
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $40.15 ↓ -39%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $40.56 ↓ -38%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $40.97 ↓ -38%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $41.37 ↓ -37%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $42.12 ↓ -36%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $42.14 ↓ -36%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $42.99 ↓ -35%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $48.53 ↓ -26%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $49.25 ↓ -25%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $49.48 ↓ -25%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $53.94 ↓ -18%
COVENTRY AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
AETNA AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
MERITAIN AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
WEBTPA AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $57.41 ↓ -13%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $58.50 ↓ -11%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $58.50 ↓ -11%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $60.84 ↓ -7%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $62.40 ↓ -5%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $62.40 ↓ -5%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $68.14 ↑ +4%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $75.04 ↑ +14%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $76.44 ↑ +16%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $76.44 ↑ +16%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $76.44 ↑ +16%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $76.44 ↑ +16%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $76.44 ↑ +16%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $76.44 ↑ +16%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $78.00 ↑ +19%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $78.00 ↑ +19%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $81.53 ↑ +24%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $81.53 ↑ +24%

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture screening strep group a at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $201.00 $6.63 – $6.63
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $176.80 $6.43 – $70.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $65.65 $6.63 – $78.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $65.65 $29.48 – $87.80
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $306.80 $6.43 – $164.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $78.00 $6.50 – $78.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $54.60 $6.43 – $84.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $140.00 $6.43 – $74.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →