Cath bi-dir df smarttouch at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center

3421 W. 9th St, Waterloo, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1700827896

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 31, 2026 · Ingested Aug 3, 2026

$4,909.47

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.

$7,553.03

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.

$27.57 with MEDICAL ASSOCIATES vs $117.34 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
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $27.57 ↓ -99%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $27.57 ↓ -99%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $65.12 ↓ -99%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $65.12 ↓ -99%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $76.98 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.31 ↓ -98%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.31 ↓ -98%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.31 ↓ -98%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.31 ↓ -98%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.31 ↓ -98%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.31 ↓ -98%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
COVENTRY AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
MERITAIN AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
AETNA EAP AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
AETNA AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
WEBTPA AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $104.78 ↓ -98%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $109.13 ↓ -98%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $117.34 ↓ -98%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $117.34 ↓ -98%

Visitor-reported prices

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Cath bi-dir df smarttouch at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $4,986.64 $2,312.55 – $4,032.95
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $8,280.00 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $4,909.47 $41.89 – $117.34
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $4,664.58 $55.14 – $139.28
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $4,908.66 $44.35 – $132.08
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $4,908.66 $33.21 – $117.34
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $4,908.31 $44.85 – $117.34
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $4,908.31 $27.57 – $117.34

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →