Heparin assay 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

$155.00

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.

$155.00

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.

$12.69 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $155.00 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 $12.69 ↓ -92%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $12.81 ↓ -92%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.83 ↓ -92%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.83 ↓ -92%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.83 ↓ -92%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $12.86 ↓ -92%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $12.96 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $13.08 ↓ -92%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $13.09 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $13.09 ↓ -92%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $13.22 ↓ -91%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $13.35 ↓ -91%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $17.41 ↓ -89%
OSCAR OSCAR $18.60 ↓ -88%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $18.89 ↓ -88%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $21.99 ↓ -86%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $26.31 ↓ -83%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $26.31 ↓ -83%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $31.16 ↓ -80%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $31.16 ↓ -80%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
WEBTPA AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $53.79 ↓ -65%
CIGNA CIGNA $93.00 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $93.00 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $98.43 ↓ -36%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $100.75 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $100.75 ↓ -35%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $100.75 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $100.75 ↓ -35%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $131.75 ↓ -15%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $155.00 ↑ +0%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $155.00 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Heparin assay at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $129.60 $13.09 – $13.09
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $100.75 $12.69 – $155.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $53.95 $32.86 – $83.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $53.95 $31.37 – $93.42
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $55.25 $12.69 – $85.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $53.95 $31.72 – $83.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $100.75 $12.69 – $155.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $53.95 $42.72 – $86.75

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →