Cytopath tbs c/v manual 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

$98.00

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.

$98.00

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.

$17.31 with UNITED HEALTHCARE vs $98.00 with CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE — 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
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $17.31 ↓ -82%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $17.31 ↓ -82%
IOWA TOTAL CARE IOWA TOTAL CARE MEDICAID $17.96 ↓ -82%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $18.14 ↓ -81%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.17 ↓ -81%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.17 ↓ -81%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.17 ↓ -81%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $18.19 ↓ -81%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $18.21 ↓ -81%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.35 ↓ -81%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.53 ↓ -81%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $18.73 ↓ -81%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $18.91 ↓ -81%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $19.70 ↓ -80%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $19.70 ↓ -80%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $24.66 ↓ -75%
OSCAR OSCAR $26.35 ↓ -73%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $26.75 ↓ -73%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $31.15 ↓ -68%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
WEBTPA AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $34.01 ↓ -65%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $37.27 ↓ -62%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $37.27 ↓ -62%
CIGNA CIGNA $58.80 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $58.80 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $62.23 ↓ -37%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $63.70 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $63.70 ↓ -35%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $63.70 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $63.70 ↓ -35%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $83.30 ↓ -15%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $98.00 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Cytopath tbs c/v manual at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $63.70 $17.31 – $98.00
MercyOne Centerville Medical Center Centerville $91.00 $18.19 – $91.00
MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton $59.15 $17.96 – $91.00
MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Mason City $53.95 $17.31 – $83.00
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital Waterloo $36.80 $15.12 – $23.09
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital Dubuque $36.80 $3.50 – $42.32
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell $36.80 $15.12 – $23.09
UnityPoint Health - Iowa Lutheran Hospital Des Moines $36.80 $15.12 – $23.09

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →