Lactated ringers intravenous solution 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

$20.00

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.

$20.00

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.

$9.01 with BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $18.29 with CLAIMDOC — 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
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.01 ↓ -55%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.10 ↓ -55%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $9.19 ↓ -54%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.28 ↓ -54%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.45 ↓ -53%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.45 ↓ -53%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.65 ↓ -52%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $10.89 ↓ -46%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $11.05 ↓ -45%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $11.10 ↓ -45%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $12.10 ↓ -40%
COVENTRY AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
AETNA AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
MERITAIN AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
WEBTPA AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $12.88 ↓ -36%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $13.65 ↓ -32%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $14.00 ↓ -30%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $14.00 ↓ -30%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $15.29 ↓ -24%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $15.31 ↓ -23%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $15.31 ↓ -23%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $16.84 ↓ -16%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -14%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -14%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -14%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -14%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -14%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $17.15 ↓ -14%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $17.50 ↓ -13%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $17.50 ↓ -13%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $18.29 ↓ -9%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $18.29 ↓ -9%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Lactated ringers intravenous solution at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $43.74 not published
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $20.00 $7.92 – $20.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $20.00 $7.56 – $22.51
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $20.00 $7.64 – $20.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $20.00 $4.70 – $20.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $20.00 $4.02 – $20.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $20.00 $5.49 – $20.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $20.00 $13.00 – $20.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →