Contrast x-ray of knee joint 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

$603.40

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.

$1,724.00

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.

$110.94 with Wellpoint vs $1,724.00 with MHealth Network — 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
Wellpoint Medicaid|All Other Plans $110.94 ↓ -82%
UHC Medicaid|CHIP $113.16 ↓ -81%
UHC Medicaid|STARKIDS $113.16 ↓ -81%
BCBS Medicaid|All Plans $116.49 ↓ -81%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STARKIDS $128.31 ↓ -79%
Wellpoint Medicaid|CHIP $128.31 ↓ -79%
UNITED Medicaid|All Other Plans $130.88 ↓ -78%
CHC Medicaid|All Other Plans $147.56 ↓ -76%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STAR $171.94 ↓ -72%
UNITED Medicaid|STAR $175.78 ↓ -71%
TCHP Medicaid|All Other Plans $189.64 ↓ -69%
TCHP Medicaid|STARKIDS $189.64 ↓ -69%
CHC Medicaid|STAR $197.60 ↓ -67%
TCHP Medicaid|STAR $254.12 ↓ -58%
Renaissance Commercial|All Plans $257.55 ↓ -57%
BCBS Medicare|All Plans $357.71 ↓ -41%
AETNA Medicare|TRANSPLANT $357.71 ↓ -41%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|HMO $357.71 ↓ -41%
KELSEY Medicare|All Plans $357.71 ↓ -41%
Humana Medicare|All Other Plans $357.71 ↓ -41%
Humana Medicare|TRANSPLANT $357.71 ↓ -41%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|PPO $361.29 ↓ -40%
AETNA Medicare|All Other Plans $364.86 ↓ -40%
UHC-SecureHorizons Medicare|All Plans $364.86 ↓ -40%
Amerivantage Medicare|All Plans $368.44 ↓ -39%
SELECTCARE Medicare|All Plans $375.60 ↓ -38%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $382.49 ↓ -37%
DEVOTED Medicare|All Plans $382.75 ↓ -37%
SCANHealth Medicare|All Plans $382.75 ↓ -37%
UNITED Medicaid|STARPLUS $400.33 ↓ -34%
UHC Medicaid|STARPLUS $400.33 ↓ -34%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $421.26 ↓ -30%
KINDRED Medicare|All Plans $429.25 ↓ -29%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $458.22 ↓ -24%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $465.48 ↓ -23%
KelseyCare Commercial|Exchange $482.91 ↓ -20%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $492.59 ↓ -18%
Employer Direct Commercial|PPO $500.79 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $516.88 ↓ -14%
Community Health Choice Commercial|Exchange $536.57 ↓ -11%
Superior Health Plan Commercial|All Plans $536.57 ↓ -11%
Wellpoint Commercial|Exchange $536.57 ↓ -11%
Community Health Choice Commercial|All Other Plans $536.57 ↓ -11%
Harris Health Commercial|ERS $536.57 ↓ -11%
Aetna Commercial|Exchange $550.87 ↓ -9%
United Commercial|Exchange $582.00 ↓ -4%
Bright Health Commercial|All Plans $615.81 ↑ +2%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $623.75 ↑ +3%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Transplant $676.74 ↑ +12%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $706.84 ↑ +17%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $775.80 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Charter $782.00 ↑ +30%
United Commercial|Optum $810.28 ↑ +34%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $862.00 ↑ +43%
United Commercial|HMO $869.00 ↑ +44%
United Commercial|PPO $869.00 ↑ +44%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $948.20 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $948.20 ↑ +57%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $948.20 ↑ +57%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $1,023.36 ↑ +70%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $1,034.40 ↑ +71%
Aetna Commercial|KelseyCare $1,051.64 ↑ +74%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $1,120.60 ↑ +86%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $1,120.60 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,120.60 ↑ +86%
NX Health Commercial|PPO $1,162.56 ↑ +93%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $1,206.65 ↑ +100%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $1,206.80 ↑ +100%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,206.80 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $1,206.80 ↑ +100%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $1,206.80 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,293.00 ↑ +114%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $1,336.48 ↑ +121%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $1,424.37 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $1,465.40 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $1,724.00 ↑ +186%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Contrast x-ray of knee joint at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $603.40 $110.94 – $1,724.00
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $122.03 – $722.73
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $108.72 – $722.73
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $110.94 – $722.73
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $495.60 $110.94 – $952.69
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $923.65 $190.12 – $1,385.48
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $942.13 $110.94 – $1,177.66
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $495.60 $110.94 – $952.69

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →