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Wrist 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

$413.40

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.

$636.00

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.

$218.23 with BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $443.16 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 $218.23 ↓ -47%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $220.48 ↓ -47%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $222.68 ↓ -46%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $224.89 ↓ -46%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $228.96 ↓ -45%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $229.04 ↓ -45%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $233.71 ↓ -43%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $263.81 ↓ -36%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $267.69 ↓ -35%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $268.99 ↓ -35%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $293.24 ↓ -29%
WEBTPA AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
COVENTRY AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
AETNA AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
MERITAIN AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $312.06 ↓ -25%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $318.00 ↓ -23%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $318.00 ↓ -23%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $330.72 ↓ -20%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $339.20 ↓ -18%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $339.20 ↓ -18%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $370.41 ↓ -10%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $407.89 ↓ -1%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE $415.52 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE $415.52 ↑ +1%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE $415.52 ↑ +1%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE $415.52 ↑ +1%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE $415.52 ↑ +1%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE $415.52 ↑ +1%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $424.00 ↑ +3%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $424.00 ↑ +3%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $443.16 ↑ +7%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $443.16 ↑ +7%

Visitor-reported prices

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Wrist X-ray at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $386.76 $7.71 – $142.13
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $258.84 $7.71 – $170.51
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $242.40 $84.28 – $118.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $413.40 $167.86 – $424.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $915.20 $80.14 – $389.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $413.40 $160.27 – $477.25
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $413.40 $162.05 – $424.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $455.65 $81.99 – $467.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →