Scr c/v cyto,thinlayer,rescr 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

$191.10

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.

$294.00

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.

$25.96 with AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE vs $294.00 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
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $25.96 ↓ -86%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $25.96 ↓ -86%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $25.96 ↓ -86%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $26.22 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $26.48 ↓ -86%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $26.49 ↓ -86%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $26.49 ↓ -86%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $26.49 ↓ -86%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $26.75 ↓ -86%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $27.02 ↓ -86%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $35.23 ↓ -82%
OSCAR OSCAR $40.65 ↓ -79%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $43.97 ↓ -77%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $44.50 ↓ -77%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $53.24 ↓ -72%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $53.24 ↓ -72%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $69.09 ↓ -64%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $69.09 ↓ -64%
AETNA EAP AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
AETNA AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
COVENTRY AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
MERITAIN AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
WEBTPA AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $72.09 ↓ -62%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $192.86 ↑ +1%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $208.74 ↑ +9%
CIGNA EAP MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $208.74 ↑ +9%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $208.74 ↑ +9%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $208.74 ↑ +9%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $208.74 ↑ +9%
CIGNA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $208.74 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DEERE PREMIER $273.42 ↑ +43%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UHC OPTUM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH $294.00 ↑ +54%

Visitor-reported prices

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Scr c/v cyto,thinlayer,rescr at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $55.00 $15.89 – $44.48
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $182.00 $26.49 – $280.00
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $55.00 $15.89 – $55.00
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $55.00 $15.89 – $42.90
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $55.00 $15.89 – $36.91
UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa $55.00 $15.89 – $60.98
UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Marshalltown $55.00 $15.89 – $54.86
UnityPoint Health - St. Lukes Downtown Sioux City $55.00 $15.89 – $44.69

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →