Cytopath tbs c/v manual 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

$53.95

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.

$83.00

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.

$17.31 with UNITED HEALTHCARE vs $83.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $17.31 ↓ -68%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $17.31 ↓ -68%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $17.96 ↓ -67%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $18.14 ↓ -66%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.17 ↓ -66%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.17 ↓ -66%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.17 ↓ -66%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $18.19 ↓ -66%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $18.21 ↓ -66%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.35 ↓ -66%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.53 ↓ -66%
SOUTH COUNTRY HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICARE SOUTH COUNTRY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.53 ↓ -66%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $18.73 ↓ -65%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.91 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $21.25 ↓ -61%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $21.25 ↓ -61%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $22.80 ↓ -58%
OSCAR OSCAR $24.44 ↓ -55%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $24.66 ↓ -54%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $31.15 ↓ -42%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $37.27 ↓ -31%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $37.27 ↓ -31%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
AETNA AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
COVENTRY AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
MERITAIN AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
AETNA EAP AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
WEBTPA AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $43.58 ↓ -19%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $53.95 ↑ +0%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $55.53 ↑ +3%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $58.10 ↑ +8%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $58.10 ↑ +8%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $58.10 ↑ +8%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $58.10 ↑ +8%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $58.10 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $58.10 ↑ +8%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $66.40 ↑ +23%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $74.70 ↑ +38%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $83.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $83.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Cytopath tbs c/v manual at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $98.00 $17.31 – $98.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $63.70 $17.31 – $98.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $91.00 $18.19 – $91.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $59.15 $17.96 – $91.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $36.80 $15.12 – $23.09
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $36.80 $3.50 – $42.32
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $36.80 $15.12 – $23.09
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $36.80 $15.12 – $23.09

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →