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Shoulder MRI (without contrast) 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

$3,858.40

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.

$5,936.00

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.

$2,036.67 with BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $4,135.86 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 $2,036.67 ↓ -47%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $2,057.64 ↓ -47%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $2,078.22 ↓ -46%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $2,098.79 ↓ -46%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $2,136.78 ↓ -45%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $2,137.57 ↓ -45%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $2,181.10 ↓ -43%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $2,462.05 ↓ -36%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $2,498.25 ↓ -35%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $2,510.32 ↓ -35%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $2,736.66 ↓ -29%
WEBTPA AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
COVENTRY AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
AETNA AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
MERITAIN AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $2,912.35 ↓ -25%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $2,967.75 ↓ -23%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $2,967.75 ↓ -23%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $3,086.46 ↓ -20%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $3,165.60 ↓ -18%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $3,165.60 ↓ -18%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $3,456.84 ↓ -10%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $3,806.63 ↓ -1%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $3,877.86 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $3,877.86 ↑ +1%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $3,877.86 ↑ +1%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $3,877.86 ↑ +1%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $3,877.86 ↑ +1%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $3,877.86 ↑ +1%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $3,957.00 ↑ +3%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $3,957.00 ↑ +3%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $4,135.86 ↑ +7%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $4,135.86 ↑ +7%

Visitor-reported prices

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Shoulder MRI (without contrast) at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $3,476.19 $59.32 – $1,277.50
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $1,299.74 $59.32 – $856.20
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $4,687.80 $224.79 – $4,808.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $2,247.60 $231.38 – $323.93
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $4,516.85 $214.06 – $4,633.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $3,858.40 $1,566.58 – $3,957.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $2,237.30 $219.72 – $2,294.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $3,858.40 $1,512.37 – $3,957.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →