Infectious agent antigen immunoassay ql/sq multi step helicobacter pylori stool 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

$358.15

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.

$551.00

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.

$13.93 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $551.00 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
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $13.93 ↓ -96%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $14.07 ↓ -96%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.09 ↓ -96%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.09 ↓ -96%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.09 ↓ -96%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $14.12 ↓ -96%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.23 ↓ -96%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.37 ↓ -96%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $14.38 ↓ -96%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $14.38 ↓ -96%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $14.52 ↓ -96%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $14.67 ↓ -96%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $19.13 ↓ -95%
OSCAR OSCAR $22.07 ↓ -94%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $23.87 ↓ -93%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $24.16 ↓ -93%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $28.90 ↓ -92%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $28.90 ↓ -92%
COVENTRY AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
AETNA AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
MERITAIN AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
WEBTPA AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
AETNA EAP AETNA $39.12 ↓ -89%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $129.49 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $129.49 ↓ -64%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $361.46 ↑ +1%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $391.21 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $391.21 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $391.21 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $391.21 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $391.21 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $391.21 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $512.43 ↑ +43%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $551.00 ↑ +54%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $551.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Infectious agent antigen immunoassay ql/sq multi step helicobacter pylori stool at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $38.58 $8.63 – $25.41
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $174.60 $14.38 – $14.38
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $358.15 $13.93 – $551.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $210.60 $128.27 – $324.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $210.60 $14.67 – $364.69
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $235.30 $13.93 – $362.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $210.60 $14.38 – $324.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $358.15 $13.93 – $551.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →