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Hand X-ray 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

$305.50

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.

$470.00

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.

$161.10 with BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $327.15 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 $161.10 ↓ -47%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $162.76 ↓ -47%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $164.39 ↓ -46%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $166.02 ↓ -46%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $169.02 ↓ -45%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $169.08 ↓ -45%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $172.53 ↓ -44%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $194.75 ↓ -36%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $197.61 ↓ -35%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $198.57 ↓ -35%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $216.47 ↓ -29%
WEBTPA AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
COVENTRY AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
AETNA AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
MERITAIN AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $230.37 ↓ -25%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $234.75 ↓ -23%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $234.75 ↓ -23%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $244.14 ↓ -20%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $250.40 ↓ -18%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $250.40 ↓ -18%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $273.44 ↓ -10%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $301.11 ↓ -1%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $306.74 ↑ +0%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $306.74 ↑ +0%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $306.74 ↑ +0%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $306.74 ↑ +0%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $306.74 ↑ +0%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $306.74 ↑ +0%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $313.00 ↑ +2%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $313.00 ↑ +2%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $327.15 ↑ +7%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $327.15 ↑ +7%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Hand X-ray at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $389.88 $7.71 – $143.28
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $109.32 $7.71 – $72.98
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $780.00 $80.14 – $389.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $1,246.00 $5.54 – $623.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $242.40 $84.28 – $118.00
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $404.95 $78.07 – $415.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $305.50 $9.50 – $26.72
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $305.50 $118.31 – $352.31

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →