Pt application of modality >=1 area hot/cold packs 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

$52.00

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$80.00

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.

$1.80 with AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $350.00 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
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1.80 ↓ -97%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $2.30 ↓ -96%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $2.30 ↓ -96%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $2.85 ↓ -95%
OSCAR OSCAR $2.97 ↓ -94%
AETNA EAP AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
AETNA AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
COVENTRY AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
MERITAIN AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
WEBTPA AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $4.73 ↓ -91%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $5.40 ↓ -90%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $5.40 ↓ -90%
PREFERRED ONE PREFERRED ONE $5.85 ↓ -89%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $6.02 ↓ -88%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $6.30 ↓ -88%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $6.30 ↓ -88%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $6.30 ↓ -88%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $6.30 ↓ -88%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $6.30 ↓ -88%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $6.30 ↓ -88%
MHNET MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES $7.20 ↓ -86%
MULTIPLAN MULTIPLAN $8.10 ↓ -84%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $9.00 ↓ -83%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $9.00 ↓ -83%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $9.00 ↓ -83%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $9.61 ↓ -82%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $9.70 ↓ -81%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $9.74 ↓ -81%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $350.00 ↑ +573%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $350.00 ↑ +573%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pt application of modality >=1 area hot/cold packs at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $63.05 $38.40 – $97.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $63.05 $37.07 – $97.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $52.00 $9.61 – $301.50
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $63.05 $49.93 – $101.38
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $52.00 $9.61 – $189.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $97.00 $26.62 – $97.00
MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo $52.00 $9.61 – $301.50
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $12.00 $5.92 – $9.80

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →