Immunofluorescence per specimen each additional single antibody stain 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

$245.05

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.

$377.00

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.

$9.98 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $89.12 with GEHA — 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $9.98 ↓ -96%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $9.98 ↓ -96%
AETNA EAP AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
AETNA AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
COVENTRY AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
MERITAIN AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
WEBTPA AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $20.48 ↓ -92%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $25.35 ↓ -90%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $26.09 ↓ -89%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.30 ↓ -89%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.30 ↓ -89%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.30 ↓ -89%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.30 ↓ -89%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.30 ↓ -89%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.30 ↓ -89%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $31.20 ↓ -87%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $35.10 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $39.00 ↓ -84%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $39.00 ↓ -84%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $39.00 ↓ -84%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $89.12 ↓ -64%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $89.12 ↓ -64%

Visitor-reported prices

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Immunofluorescence per specimen each additional single antibody stain at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $231.40 $13.92 – $89.12
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $76.05 $44.23 – $131.70
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $231.40 $89.12 – $356.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $317.85 $89.12 – $489.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $76.05 $60.22 – $122.29
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $377.00 $7.84 – $89.12
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $245.05 $7.84 – $89.12
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $317.85 $89.12 – $489.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →