Aspirate pleura without imaging 32554 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

$1,347.15

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.

$3,849.00

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.

$235.39 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|CHIP $235.39 ↓ -83%
Wellpoint Medicaid|All Other Plans $235.39 ↓ -83%
TCHP Medicaid|STARKIDS $235.39 ↓ -83%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STARKIDS $235.39 ↓ -83%
TCHP Medicaid|All Other Plans $235.39 ↓ -83%
UHC Medicaid|CHIP $240.10 ↓ -82%
UHC Medicaid|STARKIDS $240.10 ↓ -82%
UNITED Medicaid|All Other Plans $240.10 ↓ -82%
BCBS Medicaid|All Plans $247.16 ↓ -82%
CHC Medicaid|All Other Plans $270.70 ↓ -80%
TCHP Medicaid|STAR $315.42 ↓ -77%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STAR $315.42 ↓ -77%
UNITED Medicaid|STAR $322.48 ↓ -76%
CHC Medicaid|STAR $362.50 ↓ -73%
Renaissance Commercial|All Plans $445.87 ↓ -67%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $529.63 ↓ -61%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $580.07 ↓ -57%
KELSEY Medicare|All Plans $619.26 ↓ -54%
Humana Medicare|TRANSPLANT $619.26 ↓ -54%
AETNA Medicare|TRANSPLANT $619.26 ↓ -54%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|HMO $619.26 ↓ -54%
Humana Medicare|All Other Plans $619.26 ↓ -54%
BCBS Medicare|All Plans $619.26 ↓ -54%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|PPO $625.45 ↓ -54%
AETNA Medicare|All Other Plans $631.65 ↓ -53%
UHC-SecureHorizons Medicare|All Plans $631.65 ↓ -53%
Amerivantage Medicare|All Plans $637.84 ↓ -53%
SELECTCARE Medicare|All Plans $650.22 ↓ -52%
DEVOTED Medicare|All Plans $662.61 ↓ -51%
SCANHealth Medicare|All Plans $662.61 ↓ -51%
UHC Medicaid|STARPLUS $734.42 ↓ -45%
UNITED Medicaid|STARPLUS $734.42 ↓ -45%
KINDRED Medicare|All Plans $743.11 ↓ -45%
KelseyCare Commercial|Exchange $836.00 ↓ -38%
Employer Direct Commercial|PPO $866.96 ↓ -36%
Aetna Commercial|KelseyCare $896.00 ↓ -33%
Bright Health Commercial|All Plans $903.92 ↓ -33%
Community Health Choice Commercial|All Other Plans $928.89 ↓ -31%
Wellpoint Commercial|Exchange $928.89 ↓ -31%
Community Health Choice Commercial|Exchange $928.89 ↓ -31%
Harris Health Commercial|ERS $928.89 ↓ -31%
Superior Health Plan Commercial|All Plans $928.89 ↓ -31%
Aetna Commercial|Exchange $953.66 ↓ -29%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $1,039.23 ↓ -23%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $1,052.95 ↓ -22%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,079.00 ↓ -20%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $1,286.24 ↓ -5%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $1,387.12 ↑ +3%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $1,392.57 ↑ +3%
United Commercial|Exchange $1,452.00 ↑ +8%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $1,578.09 ↑ +17%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $1,732.05 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Optum $1,809.03 ↑ +34%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $1,864.00 ↑ +38%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $1,924.50 ↑ +43%
United Commercial|Charter $1,955.00 ↑ +45%
NX Health Commercial|PPO $2,012.60 ↑ +49%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $2,054.00 ↑ +52%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $2,116.95 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $2,116.95 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $2,116.95 ↑ +57%
United Commercial|PPO $2,172.00 ↑ +61%
United Commercial|HMO $2,172.00 ↑ +61%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $2,309.40 ↑ +71%
Independent Med System Commercial|All Plans $2,309.40 ↑ +71%
KelseyCare Commercial|All Other Plans $2,404.80 ↑ +79%
PHCS Savility Commercial|PPO $2,501.85 ↑ +86%
PHCS Commercial|PPO $2,501.85 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,501.85 ↑ +86%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $2,501.85 ↑ +86%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $2,501.85 ↑ +86%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $2,694.30 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $2,694.30 ↑ +100%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $2,694.30 ↑ +100%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $2,694.30 ↑ +100%
Humana Commercial|PPO $2,700.00 ↑ +100%
Humana Commercial|HMO $2,700.00 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,886.75 ↑ +114%
Aetna Commercial|Transplant $2,925.24 ↑ +117%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $3,180.05 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $3,271.65 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $3,849.00 ↑ +186%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $5,160.00 ↑ +283%

Visitor-reported prices

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Aspirate pleura without imaging 32554 at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $1,347.15 $1,039.23 – $3,849.00
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $240.10 – $1,292.55
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $219.28 – $1,097.09
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $223.75 – $1,097.09
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $1,347.27 $223.75 – $1,684.09
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $1,515.68 $71.00 – $2,273.52
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $1,347.27 $71.00 – $1,684.09
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $1,347.27 $223.75 – $1,684.09

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →