Chromatography 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

$80.60

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.

$124.00

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.

$17.50 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $124.00 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $17.50 ↓ -78%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $17.67 ↓ -78%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.70 ↓ -78%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.70 ↓ -78%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.70 ↓ -78%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $17.74 ↓ -78%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.88 ↓ -78%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.05 ↓ -78%
SOUTH COUNTRY HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICARE SOUTH COUNTRY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.05 ↓ -78%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $18.06 ↓ -78%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $18.06 ↓ -78%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $18.24 ↓ -77%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.42 ↓ -77%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $22.21 ↓ -72%
OSCAR OSCAR $23.80 ↓ -70%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $24.02 ↓ -70%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $30.34 ↓ -62%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $31.74 ↓ -61%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $31.74 ↓ -61%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $36.30 ↓ -55%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $36.30 ↓ -55%
AETNA AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
COVENTRY AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
MERITAIN AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
AETNA EAP AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
WEBTPA AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $65.10 ↓ -19%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $80.60 ↑ +0%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $82.96 ↑ +3%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $86.80 ↑ +8%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $86.80 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $86.80 ↑ +8%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $86.80 ↑ +8%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $86.80 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $86.80 ↑ +8%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $99.20 ↑ +23%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $111.60 ↑ +38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $124.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $124.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $124.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chromatography at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $110.40 $18.06 – $18.06
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $80.60 $17.50 – $124.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $124.00 $17.50 – $124.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $80.60 $17.50 – $124.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $116.40 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $85.80 $18.36 – $39.42
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $120.90 $17.50 – $186.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $45.60 $10.84 – $28.09

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →