Car seat/bed test additional 30 minutes 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

$42.35

Cash price

?

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.

$121.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$10.21 with BCBS - TX vs $745.00 with United — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $10.21 ↓ -76%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $10.38 ↓ -75%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $17.47 ↓ -59%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $18.60 ↓ -56%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $26.82 ↓ -37%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $32.67 ↓ -23%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $43.78 ↑ +3%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $49.61 ↑ +17%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $54.45 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Optum $56.87 ↑ +34%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $60.50 ↑ +43%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $66.55 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $66.55 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $66.55 ↑ +57%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $72.60 ↑ +71%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $78.65 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $78.65 ↑ +86%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $78.65 ↑ +86%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Transplant $81.90 ↑ +93%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $84.70 ↑ +100%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $84.70 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $84.70 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $90.75 ↑ +114%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $99.98 ↑ +136%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $100.00 ↑ +136%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $100.00 ↑ +136%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $100.00 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $102.85 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $121.00 ↑ +186%
United Commercial|Exchange $499.00 ↑ +1078%
United Commercial|Charter $674.00 ↑ +1491%
United Commercial|HMO $745.00 ↑ +1659%
United Commercial|PPO $745.00 ↑ +1659%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Car seat/bed test additional 30 minutes at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $42.35 $12.63 – $121.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON $386.13 $20.24 – $197.24
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $20.24 – $197.24
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $20.24 – $197.24
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $170.72 $26.56 – $241.86
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $185.68 $26.12 – $278.52
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $172.69 $26.12 – $215.86
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $170.72 $20.24 – $241.86

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →