Brain MRI (without contrast) at HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER

1313 Hermann Dr, Houston, TX · HCA Houston Healthcare · · NPI 1073043592

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

not published by hospital

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.

not published by hospital

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.

$204.15 with Community Health Choice MCD vs $2,983.30 with Coventry National First Health — 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
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $204.15
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $204.15
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $204.15
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $204.15
United MGMCD $208.23
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $220.48
Molina Healthcare CHIP $222.37
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $222.37
Molina Healthcare STAR $222.37
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $222.37
Humana MCD $252.69
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $335.83
Superior Health Plan CHIP $335.83
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $335.83
Superior Health Plan STARKids $335.83
Superior Health Plan STAR $335.83
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $437.25
BCBS MyBlueHealth $501.04
United AllPayerAppendix $517.79
United SmallGroup $517.79
BCBS BAV $577.94
BCBS HMO $878.56
BCBS EPOSOA $936.82
United OptionsPPO $940.33
BCBS PPO $992.75
Aetna QHPExchange $1,210.00
Aetna ASAPPO $1,301.00
Aetna NBHMO $1,605.00
Aetna NBPOS $1,605.00
Aetna NBPPO $1,605.00
Aetna COMMHMO $1,706.00
Aetna COMMPOS $1,706.00
Aetna COMMPPO $1,706.00
BCBS Traditional $1,959.02
Aetna OONHMO $2,007.00
Aetna OONPOS $2,007.00
Aetna OONPPO $2,007.00
Cigna CSN $2,127.00
Aetna ASAPOS $2,168.00
Aetna ASAHMO $2,168.00
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $2,238.88
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $2,304.00
United GlobalAppendix $2,518.74
Cigna PPO $2,739.00
Humana HMO $2,751.54
Humana PPO $2,751.54
Coventry National First Health COMM $2,983.30

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (without contrast) at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $1,647.80 $202.15 – $4,708.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $1,647.80 $202.15 – $4,708.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON $18,251.80 $202.15 – $501.04
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $198.11 – $466.08
Adventhealth Rollins Brook Lampasas $4,391.63 $1,085.97 – $1,085.97
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $2,189.86 $202.15 – $2,737.32
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $2,260.29 $314.76 – $3,390.43
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $2,556.77 $202.15 – $3,195.96

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →