MRI lower extremity other than joint without & w/contrast (both sides) 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

$5,818.15

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.

$8,951.00

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.

$3,071.21 with BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $6,236.71 with NOVA — 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 $3,071.21 ↓ -47%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,102.84 ↓ -47%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $3,133.87 ↓ -46%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,164.90 ↓ -46%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,222.18 ↓ -45%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,223.37 ↓ -45%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3,289.01 ↓ -43%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $3,712.67 ↓ -36%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $3,767.27 ↓ -35%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $3,785.46 ↓ -35%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $4,126.78 ↓ -29%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
MERITAIN AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
WEBTPA AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
AETNA AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
COVENTRY AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $4,391.71 ↓ -25%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $4,475.25 ↓ -23%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $4,475.25 ↓ -23%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $4,654.26 ↓ -20%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $4,773.60 ↓ -18%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $4,773.60 ↓ -18%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $5,212.77 ↓ -10%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $5,847.66 ↑ +1%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $5,847.66 ↑ +1%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $5,847.66 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $5,847.66 ↑ +1%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $5,847.66 ↑ +1%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $5,847.66 ↑ +1%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $5,967.00 ↑ +3%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $5,967.00 ↑ +3%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $6,236.71 ↑ +7%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $6,236.71 ↑ +7%

Visitor-reported prices

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MRI lower extremity other than joint without & w/contrast (both sides) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $3,472.20 $341.85 – $478.59
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $5,898.75 $312.99 – $6,050.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $5,818.15 $2,362.34 – $5,967.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,221.70 $321.26 – $2,279.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $5,818.15 $2,280.59 – $5,967.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $5,364.45 $328.68 – $5,502.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $10,285.00 $329.29 – $6,857.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $6,314.75 $329.29 – $6,476.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →