Fna bx w/mr gdn ea addl 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

$551.20

Cash price

?

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.

$848.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$65.04 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH vs $848.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $65.04 ↓ -88%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $217.09 ↓ -61%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $217.09 ↓ -61%
AETNA EAP AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
AETNA AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
COVENTRY AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
MERITAIN AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
WEBTPA AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $445.20 ↓ -19%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $551.20 ↑ +0%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $567.31 ↑ +3%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $593.60 ↑ +8%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $593.60 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $593.60 ↑ +8%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $593.60 ↑ +8%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $593.60 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $593.60 ↑ +8%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $678.40 ↑ +23%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $763.20 ↑ +38%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $848.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $848.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Fna bx w/mr gdn ea addl at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $557.00 $65.04 – $557.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $362.05 $65.04 – $557.00
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs $636.30 $227.25 – $1,287.75
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo not published $435.98 – $536.18
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque not published $435.98 – $536.18
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell not published $435.98 – $536.18
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines not published $435.98 – $536.18
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa not published $435.98 – $536.18

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →