Smear nasal eosinophil 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

$106.00

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.

$106.00

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.

$5.61 with IOWA TOTAL CARE vs $106.00 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 $5.61 ↓ -95%
MEDICARE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.67 ↓ -95%
MOLINA MEDICAID MOLINA MEDICAID $5.67 ↓ -95%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.67 ↓ -95%
MEDIGOLD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MERCYONE HEALTH PLAN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.67 ↓ -95%
WELLPOINT MEDICAID WELLPOINT MEDICAID $5.69 ↓ -95%
BLUE CROSS - IA (WELLMARK) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLMARK MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.73 ↓ -95%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.79 ↓ -95%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $5.79 ↓ -95%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.79 ↓ -95%
HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNITYPOINT HEALTH PARTNERS MEDICARE ADV $5.85 ↓ -94%
WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WELLPOINT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.91 ↓ -94%
AMISH HOSPITAL AID AMISH HOSPITAL AID $7.70 ↓ -93%
OSCAR OSCAR $8.23 ↓ -92%
CENTIVO CENTIVO $8.35 ↓ -92%
AMBETTER AMBETTER MARKETPLACE $9.73 ↓ -91%
NOVA CLAIMDOC $11.64 ↓ -89%
CLAIMDOC CLAIMDOC $11.64 ↓ -89%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $21.31 ↓ -80%
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $21.31 ↓ -80%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
COVENTRY AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
MERITAIN AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
AETNA AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
WEBTPA AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $36.78 ↓ -65%
CIGNA CIGNA $63.60 ↓ -40%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $63.60 ↓ -40%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $67.31 ↓ -37%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $68.90 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $68.90 ↓ -35%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $68.90 ↓ -35%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $68.90 ↓ -35%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $90.10 ↓ -15%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $106.00 ↑ +0%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $106.00 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Smear nasal eosinophil at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $39.00 $5.79 – $5.79
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $27.30 $5.61 – $42.00
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $37.05 $21.55 – $64.16
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $27.30 $5.61 – $42.00
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $18.20 $5.61 – $28.00
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $37.05 $29.34 – $59.58
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines $18.20 $5.61 – $28.00
MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport $41.40 not published

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →