Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 ml intravenous solution 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

$285.00

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.

$285.00

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.

$8.64 with HEALTH CHOICES vs $43.00 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
HEALTH CHOICES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $8.64 ↓ -97%
MEDICAL ASSOCIATES MEDICAL ASSOCIATES $8.64 ↓ -97%
MEDICAL MUTUAL AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
CHRISTIAN BROTHER SERVICES AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
TRUSTMARK SMALL BUSINESS BENEFITS AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
LUCENT HEALTH AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
AETNA AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
ASR HEALTH BENEFITS AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
1199 NATIONAL BENEFIT FUND AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
FIRST HEALTH AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
AETNA DOMESTIC AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
COVENTRY AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
ALLIED BENEFIT SYSTEMS AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
MERITAIN AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
WEBTPA AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
LUMINARE HEALTH AETNA $14.92 ↓ -95%
CIGNA EAP CIGNA $25.80 ↓ -91%
GEHA UNITED HEALTHCARE $25.80 ↓ -91%
CIGNA CIGNA $25.80 ↓ -91%
UNITED HEALTHCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE $25.80 ↓ -91%
HEALTH PARTNERS HEALTH PARTNERS $27.31 ↓ -90%
MIDLANDS MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -90%
AUXIANT MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -90%
MEDICA MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -90%
MIDLANDS CHOICE MIDLANDS CHOICE PPO $27.95 ↓ -90%
USA MANAGED CARE USA MANAGED CARE $36.55 ↓ -87%
IOWA DEPT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR YOURSELF $43.00 ↓ -85%
CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE CRIME VICTIMS $43.00 ↓ -85%

Visitor-reported prices

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Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 ml intravenous solution at other Iowa hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport $1,949.30 not published
MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque $43.00 $15.35 – $43.00
MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center New Hampton $1,080.00 $61.96 – $156.50
MercyOne Dyersville Medical Center Dyersville $43.00 $16.25 – $48.40
MercyOne Clinton Medical Center Clinton $1,081.00 $12.17 – $43.00
MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein $1,080.00 $59.81 – $156.50
MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center Cedar Falls $1,080.00 $36.78 – $156.50
MercyOne Elkader Medical Center Elkader $1,080.00 $80.55 – $163.57

All Iowa hospitals for this procedure →