Chromatography 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

$120.90

Cash price

?

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.

$186.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$17.50 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $186.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $17.50 ↓ -86%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $17.67 ↓ -85%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.70 ↓ -85%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.70 ↓ -85%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.70 ↓ -85%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $17.74 ↓ -85%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $17.88 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.05 ↓ -85%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $18.06 ↓ -85%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $18.06 ↓ -85%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $18.24 ↓ -85%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.42 ↓ -85%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $24.02 ↓ -80%
OSCAR OSCAR $27.72 ↓ -77%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $29.98 ↓ -75%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $30.34 ↓ -75%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $36.30 ↓ -70%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $36.30 ↓ -70%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $43.71 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $43.71 ↓ -64%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
COVENTRY AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
MERITAIN AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
AETNA AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
WEBTPA AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
AETNA EAP AETNA $49.16 ↓ -59%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $122.02 ↑ +1%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $132.06 ↑ +9%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $132.06 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $132.06 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $132.06 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $132.06 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $132.06 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $172.98 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $186.00 ↑ +54%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $186.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Chromatography at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $45.60 $10.84 – $28.09
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $110.40 $18.06 – $18.06
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $80.60 $17.50 – $124.00
MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines $124.00 $17.50 – $124.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $80.60 $17.50 – $124.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $80.60 $17.50 – $124.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $116.40 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $85.80 $18.36 – $39.42

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →