Diffusing capacity 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

$556.15

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.

$1,589.00

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.

$55.28 with BCBS - TX vs $1,589.00 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
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $55.28 ↓ -90%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $56.22 ↓ -90%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $94.64 ↓ -83%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $100.00 ↓ -82%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $100.00 ↓ -82%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $100.00 ↓ -82%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $100.73 ↓ -82%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Transplant $112.25 ↓ -80%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $145.24 ↓ -74%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $429.03 ↓ -23%
United Commercial|Exchange $499.00 ↓ -10%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $574.91 ↑ +3%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $651.49 ↑ +17%
United Commercial|Charter $674.00 ↑ +21%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $715.05 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|PPO $745.00 ↑ +34%
United Commercial|HMO $745.00 ↑ +34%
United Commercial|Optum $746.83 ↑ +34%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $794.50 ↑ +43%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $873.95 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $873.95 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $873.95 ↑ +57%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $953.40 ↑ +71%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $1,032.85 ↑ +86%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $1,032.85 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,032.85 ↑ +86%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $1,112.30 ↑ +100%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $1,112.30 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $1,112.30 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,191.75 ↑ +114%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $1,312.84 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $1,350.65 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $1,589.00 ↑ +186%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Diffusing capacity at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston $2,000.70 $109.63 – $423.79
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON $1,682.00 $109.63 – $423.79
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $556.15 $68.40 – $1,589.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON $1,960.65 $109.63 – $423.79
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $395.37 $112.02 – $560.11
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $434.72 $89.48 – $652.09
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $478.63 $95.73 – $598.29
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $395.37 $105.43 – $560.11

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →