Ph body fluid 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

$43.00

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.

$43.00

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.

$3.47 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $43.00 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 $3.47 ↓ -92%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $3.50 ↓ -92%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.51 ↓ -92%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.51 ↓ -92%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.51 ↓ -92%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $3.52 ↓ -92%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.54 ↓ -92%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $3.58 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $3.58 ↓ -92%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.58 ↓ -92%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $3.62 ↓ -92%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $3.65 ↓ -92%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $4.76 ↓ -89%
OSCAR OSCAR $5.09 ↓ -88%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $5.17 ↓ -88%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $6.01 ↓ -86%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $7.20 ↓ -83%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $7.20 ↓ -83%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $8.64 ↓ -80%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $8.64 ↓ -80%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
WEBTPA AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $14.92 ↓ -65%
CIGNA CIGNA $25.80 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $25.80 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $27.31 ↓ -36%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -35%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -35%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $36.55 ↓ -15%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $43.00 ↑ +0%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $43.00 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Ph body fluid at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $69.60 $3.58 – $3.58
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $23.40 $3.47 – $36.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $52.65 $3.51 – $41.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $52.65 $3.51 – $41.00
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $46.15 $3.47 – $71.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $30.55 $3.47 – $47.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $52.65 $3.51 – $41.00
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $61.75 $3.47 – $43.00

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →