CT scan of the head with contrast cost in Iowa

Prices at 49 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,579 — 14% above the US median ($1,381), roughly 10.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down Iowa City, IA $250 $297 ★ 4/5 157 min 15.0%
University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics Iowa City, IA $250 $297 ★ 2/5 210 min 13.5%
Greater Regional Medical Center Creston, IA $603 $988 ★ 3/5 98 min 14.5%
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Council Bluffs, IA $730 $444 ★ 3/5 149 min 15.8%
St Lukes Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA $758 $158 ★ 4/5 168 min 15.1%
St Lukes Regional Medical Center Sioux City, IA $758 $158 ★ 2/5 180 min 15.6%
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA $916 $385 ★ 5/5 169 min 15.1%
Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown Marshalltown, IA $919 $173 ★ 3/5 154 min 15.2%
Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA $919 $157 ★ 3/5 159 min 15.6%
Spencer Municipal Hospital Spencer, IA $931 $993 ★ 4/5 118 min 14.4%
Van Diest Medical Center Webster City, IA $932 $816 ★ 5/5 104 min 14.4%
Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Humboldt, IA $1,032 $892 96 min 14.8%
Cherokee Regional Medical Center Cherokee, IA $1,052 $1,169 ★ 2/5 132 min 14.8%
Clarke County Hospital Osceola, IA $1,187 $247 ★ 5/5 104 min 14.8%
Keokuk County Health Center Sigourney, IA $1,224 $1,346 15.0%
Greene County Medical Center Jefferson, IA $1,237 $2,099 109 min 15.0%
Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center Sumner, IA $1,292 118 min 14.7%
Mercyone Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA $1,419 $179 ★ 1/5 250 min 13.6%
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Storm Lake, IA $1,450 $1,759 ★ 2/5 151 min 15.0%
CHI Health-Mercy Corning Corning, IA $1,499 $2,998 ★ 3/5 131 min 14.8%
Mercyone Newton Medical Center Newton, IA $1,509 $179 ★ 4/5 158 min 13.4%
Mercyone Oelwein Medical Center Oelwein, IA $1,509 $2,134 144 min 14.7%
CHI Health Missouri Valley Missouri Valley, IA $1,530 $2,998 ★ 4/5 102 min 14.9%
Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque, IA $1,564 $179 ★ 3/5 212 min 15.6%
Ringgold County Hospital Mount Ayr, IA $1,579 $1,675 140 min 14.7%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,308
Cash / self-pay
$1,579
Insurer-negotiated
$444
Medicare pays
$148
$758$2,375
Median cash $1,579  ·  Medicare $148  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,579 — about 10.6× the Medicare rate ($148). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($297).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,308 list price could save about $729 (32%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

CT scan of the head with contrast cost in other states

All CT scan of the head with contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →