Tc-99m sulfur colloid 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

$313.60

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.

$896.00

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.

$47.93 with BCBS - TX vs $714.00 with MHealth Network — 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
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $47.93 ↓ -85%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $60.18 ↓ -81%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $75.63 ↓ -76%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $98.53 ↓ -69%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $100.00 ↓ -68%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $100.00 ↓ -68%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $100.00 ↓ -68%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $106.52 ↓ -66%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $192.78 ↓ -39%
United Commercial|Exchange $199.92 ↓ -36%
United Commercial|Charter $235.62 ↓ -25%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $258.33 ↓ -18%
United Commercial|PPO $271.32 ↓ -13%
United Commercial|HMO $271.32 ↓ -13%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $292.74 ↓ -7%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $321.30 ↑ +2%
United Commercial|Optum $335.58 ↑ +7%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $357.00 ↑ +14%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $392.70 ↑ +25%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $392.70 ↑ +25%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $392.70 ↑ +25%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $428.40 ↑ +37%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $464.10 ↑ +48%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $464.10 ↑ +48%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $464.10 ↑ +48%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $499.80 ↑ +59%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $499.80 ↑ +59%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $499.80 ↑ +59%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $535.50 ↑ +71%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $589.91 ↑ +88%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $606.90 ↑ +94%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $714.00 ↑ +128%

Visitor-reported prices

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Tc-99m sulfur colloid at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $313.60 $58.05 – $714.00
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $104.39 – $1,239.81
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $104.39 – $1,239.81
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $104.39 – $1,239.81
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $205.55 $58.24 – $291.20
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $205.55 $42.31 – $308.33
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $205.55 $41.11 – $256.94
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $205.55 $54.81 – $291.20

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →