Perflutren lipid microspheres 1.1 mg/ml intravenous suspension 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

$393.60

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.

$393.60

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.

$100.76 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $393.60 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $100.76 ↓ -74%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $100.76 ↓ -74%
AETNA EAP AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
AETNA AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
COVENTRY AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
MERITAIN AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
WEBTPA AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $206.64 ↓ -48%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $236.16 ↓ -40%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $236.16 ↓ -40%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $255.84 ↓ -35%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $263.32 ↓ -33%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $275.52 ↓ -30%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $275.52 ↓ -30%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $275.52 ↓ -30%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $275.52 ↓ -30%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $275.52 ↓ -30%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $275.52 ↓ -30%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $314.88 ↓ -20%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $354.24 ↓ -10%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $393.60 ↑ +0%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $393.60 ↑ +0%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $393.60 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Perflutren lipid microspheres 1.1 mg/ml intravenous suspension at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $203.50 not published
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $393.60 $155.83 – $393.60
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $393.60 $79.11 – $393.60
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $393.60 $79.11 – $393.60
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $393.60 $255.84 – $393.60
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $522.12 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $522.12 $295.87 – $635.25
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $256.79 $41.79 – $169.16

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →