Infectious agent nucleic acid quantification bk virus 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

$168.35

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.

$259.00

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.

$41.51 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $259.00 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 $41.51 ↓ -75%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $41.92 ↓ -75%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $41.98 ↓ -75%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $41.98 ↓ -75%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $41.98 ↓ -75%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $42.08 ↓ -75%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $42.40 ↓ -75%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $42.82 ↓ -75%
SOUTH COUNTRY HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICARE SOUTH COUNTRY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $42.82 ↓ -75%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $42.84 ↓ -75%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $42.84 ↓ -75%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $43.27 ↓ -74%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $43.70 ↓ -74%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $52.69 ↓ -69%
OSCAR OSCAR $56.47 ↓ -66%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $56.98 ↓ -66%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $66.30 ↓ -61%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $66.30 ↓ -61%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $71.97 ↓ -57%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $86.11 ↓ -49%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $86.11 ↓ -49%
AETNA AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
COVENTRY AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
MERITAIN AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
AETNA EAP AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
WEBTPA AETNA $135.98 ↓ -19%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $168.35 ↑ +0%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $173.27 ↑ +3%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $181.30 ↑ +8%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $181.30 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $181.30 ↑ +8%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $181.30 ↑ +8%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $181.30 ↑ +8%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $181.30 ↑ +8%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $207.20 ↑ +23%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $233.10 ↑ +38%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $259.00 ↑ +54%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $259.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $259.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Infectious agent nucleic acid quantification bk virus at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $285.60 $42.84 – $42.84
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $168.35 $41.51 – $259.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $231.40 $140.94 – $356.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $231.40 $134.57 – $400.71
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $319.15 $41.51 – $296.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $231.40 $42.84 – $356.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $206.70 $41.51 – $318.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $231.40 $42.84 – $372.09

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →