Brace back epic tslo 456 at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center

1000 4th St. SW, Mason City, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1467537886

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$390.58

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.

$600.89

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.

$104.65 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $408.80 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $104.65 ↓ -73%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $104.65 ↓ -73%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
AETNA EAP AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
AETNA AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
COVENTRY AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
MERITAIN AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
WEBTPA AETNA $214.62 ↓ -45%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $245.28 ↓ -37%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $245.28 ↓ -37%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $265.72 ↓ -32%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $273.49 ↓ -30%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $286.16 ↓ -27%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $286.16 ↓ -27%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $286.16 ↓ -27%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $286.16 ↓ -27%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $286.16 ↓ -27%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $286.16 ↓ -27%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $327.04 ↓ -16%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $367.92 ↓ -6%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $408.80 ↑ +5%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $408.80 ↑ +5%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $408.80 ↑ +5%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brace back epic tslo 456 at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $390.58 $145.94 – $408.80
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $486.49 $201.58 – $509.18
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $390.58 $154.53 – $460.15
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $390.58 $115.69 – $408.80
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $390.58 $156.24 – $408.80
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $390.58 $96.07 – $408.80
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $390.58 $210.41 – $427.28
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $600.89 $82.17 – $408.80

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →