Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at Baylor St Luke's Medical Center

1101 Bates Avenue, Houston, TX · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1184622847

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$2,356.90

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.

$6,734.00

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.

$352.37 with Wellpoint vs $5,160.00 with Cigna — 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
Wellpoint Medicaid|All Other Plans $352.37 ↓ -85%
TCHP Medicaid|STARKIDS $352.37 ↓ -85%
TCHP Medicaid|All Other Plans $352.37 ↓ -85%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STARKIDS $352.37 ↓ -85%
Wellpoint Medicaid|CHIP $352.37 ↓ -85%
UHC Medicaid|CHIP $359.42 ↓ -85%
UNITED Medicaid|All Other Plans $359.42 ↓ -85%
UHC Medicaid|STARKIDS $359.42 ↓ -85%
BCBS Medicaid|All Plans $369.99 ↓ -84%
CHC Medicaid|All Other Plans $405.23 ↓ -83%
TCHP Medicaid|STAR $472.18 ↓ -80%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STAR $472.18 ↓ -80%
UNITED Medicaid|STAR $482.75 ↓ -80%
CHC Medicaid|STAR $542.65 ↓ -77%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $600.21 ↓ -75%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $660.17 ↓ -72%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Transplant $674.66 ↓ -71%
Renaissance Commercial|All Plans $676.14 ↓ -71%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $723.05 ↓ -69%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $804.29 ↓ -66%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $911.43 ↓ -61%
Humana Medicare|All Other Plans $939.08 ↓ -60%
KELSEY Medicare|All Plans $939.08 ↓ -60%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|HMO $939.08 ↓ -60%
BCBS Medicare|All Plans $939.08 ↓ -60%
AETNA Medicare|TRANSPLANT $939.08 ↓ -60%
Humana Medicare|TRANSPLANT $939.08 ↓ -60%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|PPO $948.47 ↓ -60%
AETNA Medicare|All Other Plans $957.86 ↓ -59%
UHC-SecureHorizons Medicare|All Plans $957.86 ↓ -59%
Amerivantage Medicare|All Plans $967.25 ↓ -59%
SELECTCARE Medicare|All Plans $986.03 ↓ -58%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $1,000.35 ↓ -58%
DEVOTED Medicare|All Plans $1,004.82 ↓ -57%
SCANHealth Medicare|All Plans $1,004.82 ↓ -57%
United Commercial|Optum $1,044.81 ↓ -56%
UNITED Medicaid|STARPLUS $1,099.39 ↓ -53%
UHC Medicaid|STARPLUS $1,099.39 ↓ -53%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $1,111.50 ↓ -53%
KINDRED Medicare|All Plans $1,126.90 ↓ -52%
Aetna Commercial|KelseyCare $1,195.00 ↓ -49%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $1,222.65 ↓ -48%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $1,222.65 ↓ -48%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $1,222.65 ↓ -48%
KelseyCare Commercial|Exchange $1,267.76 ↓ -46%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $1,312.49 ↓ -44%
Employer Direct Commercial|PPO $1,314.71 ↓ -44%
Independent Med System Commercial|All Plans $1,333.80 ↓ -43%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $1,333.80 ↓ -43%
Bright Health Commercial|All Plans $1,353.15 ↓ -43%
KelseyCare Commercial|All Other Plans $1,361.70 ↓ -42%
Wellpoint Commercial|Exchange $1,408.62 ↓ -40%
Superior Health Plan Commercial|All Plans $1,408.62 ↓ -40%
Community Health Choice Commercial|All Other Plans $1,408.62 ↓ -40%
Community Health Choice Commercial|Exchange $1,408.62 ↓ -40%
Harris Health Commercial|ERS $1,408.62 ↓ -40%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,438.00 ↓ -39%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $1,444.95 ↓ -39%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,444.95 ↓ -39%
PHCS Savility Commercial|PPO $1,444.95 ↓ -39%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $1,444.95 ↓ -39%
PHCS Commercial|PPO $1,444.95 ↓ -39%
Aetna Commercial|Exchange $1,446.18 ↓ -39%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $1,556.10 ↓ -34%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $1,556.10 ↓ -34%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,556.10 ↓ -34%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $1,556.10 ↓ -34%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $1,603.28 ↓ -32%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,667.25 ↓ -29%
Aetna Commercial|Transplant $1,689.48 ↓ -28%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $1,729.02 ↓ -27%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $1,836.65 ↓ -22%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $1,864.00 ↓ -21%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $1,889.55 ↓ -20%
United Commercial|Exchange $1,984.00 ↓ -16%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $2,054.00 ↓ -13%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $2,223.00 ↓ -6%
United Commercial|Charter $2,669.00 ↑ +13%
Humana Commercial|HMO $2,700.00 ↑ +15%
Humana Commercial|PPO $2,700.00 ↑ +15%
United Commercial|PPO $2,968.00 ↑ +26%
United Commercial|HMO $2,968.00 ↑ +26%
NX Health Commercial|PPO $3,052.01 ↑ +29%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $5,160.00 ↑ +119%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $2,356.90 $600.21 – $2,223.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $328.25 – $1,367.50
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $334.95 – $1,367.50
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $1,627.09 $334.95 – $2,245.59
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $1,666.30 $71.00 – $2,499.44
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $1,457.75 $71.00 – $2,245.59
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $1,627.09 $334.95 – $2,245.59
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - COLLEGE STATION College Station $1,666.30 $85.00 – $2,499.44

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →