Culture anaerobic additional method definitive id each 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

$129.00

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.

$129.00

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.

$7.83 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $129.00 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 $7.83 ↓ -94%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $7.91 ↓ -94%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $7.92 ↓ -94%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $7.92 ↓ -94%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $7.92 ↓ -94%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $7.94 ↓ -94%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.00 ↓ -94%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.08 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $8.08 ↓ -94%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.08 ↓ -94%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $8.16 ↓ -94%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $8.24 ↓ -94%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $10.75 ↓ -92%
OSCAR OSCAR $11.48 ↓ -91%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $11.66 ↓ -91%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $13.57 ↓ -89%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $16.24 ↓ -87%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $16.24 ↓ -87%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $25.93 ↓ -80%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $25.93 ↓ -80%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
WEBTPA AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $44.76 ↓ -65%
CIGNA CIGNA $77.40 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $77.40 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $81.92 ↓ -36%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.85 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.85 ↓ -35%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.85 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $83.85 ↓ -35%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $109.65 ↓ -15%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $129.00 ↑ +0%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $129.00 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Culture anaerobic additional method definitive id each at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $99.00 $8.08 – $8.08
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $160.55 $7.83 – $247.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $53.30 $32.46 – $82.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $65.00 $7.83 – $100.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $53.30 $31.34 – $82.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $53.30 $42.21 – $85.71
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $83.85 $7.83 – $129.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $82.00 $22.50 – $82.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →