Carotene at MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center

1755 59th Place, West Des Moines, IA · MercyOne · · NPI 1538395975

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

$185.00

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.

Full explanation →

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

$185.00

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.

$8.94 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $185.00 with IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH — 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 $8.94 ↓ -95%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $9.02 ↓ -95%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.04 ↓ -95%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.04 ↓ -95%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.04 ↓ -95%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $9.06 ↓ -95%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.13 ↓ -95%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $9.22 ↓ -95%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $9.22 ↓ -95%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.22 ↓ -95%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $9.31 ↓ -95%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $9.40 ↓ -95%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $12.26 ↓ -93%
OSCAR OSCAR $13.10 ↓ -93%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $13.30 ↓ -93%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $15.49 ↓ -92%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $18.53 ↓ -90%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $18.53 ↓ -90%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $37.19 ↓ -80%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $37.19 ↓ -80%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
WEBTPA AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $64.20 ↓ -65%
CIGNA CIGNA $111.00 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $111.00 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $117.48 ↓ -36%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $120.25 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $120.25 ↓ -35%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $120.25 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $120.25 ↓ -35%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $157.25 ↓ -15%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $185.00 ↑ +0%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $185.00 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Carotene at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $96.00 $9.22 – $9.22
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $48.75 $8.94 – $75.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $120.25 $8.94 – $185.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $126.00 $34.57 – $126.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $81.90 $8.94 – $126.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $48.75 $8.94 – $75.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $107.40 not published
MercyOne Genesis DeWitt Medical Center DeWitt $107.40 $25.84 – $55.48

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →