CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, knee or other leg joint

Facility: Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center

Billing Code: 73721 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$264

about 1.1× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $211–$538

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$538

Well above the fair price

about $274 over the fair price · 2.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $264 This hospital $538 Cash price $3,907 Hospital's list price $6,010

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IA hospitals

Highest price of the 9 IA hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $60 Priciest $538

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 IA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a MRI, knee or other leg joint is about $264 (about 1.1× the $244 Medicare rate). Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center charges insurers about $538, or about $3,907 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Waterloo, IA.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $264. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

5 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Kaiser Permanente Humana

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$229 - $7,212	94%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$227 - $538	93%
Aetnamajor	$225 - $947	92%
Cignamajor	$3,414 - $5,121	1401%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$244 - $538	100%
Ambetter (Centene)	$385	158%
GEHA	$525 - $1,051	215%
HealthPartners	$3,154 - $4,731	1294%
Medica	$3,414 - $5,121	1401%
Medical Mutual	$947	388%
Oscar Health	$352	144%
+ 20 smaller / regional plans	$229 - $7,212

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid.

Excludes 3 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 3,907), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 73721.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 73721.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center

Compare: MRI, knee or other leg joint at other IA hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.