Insert cath pleura with image 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

$16,300.98

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$16,300.98

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.

$478.87 with United vs $8,688.42 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
United MGMCD $478.87 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STAR $490.90 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $490.90 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $490.90 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare CHIP $490.90 ↓ -97%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $499.82 ↓ -97%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $499.82 ↓ -97%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $499.82 ↓ -97%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $499.82 ↓ -97%
Humana MCD $557.84 ↓ -97%
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $563.38 ↓ -97%
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $948.00 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $948.00 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARKids $948.00 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STAR $948.00 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHIP $948.00 ↓ -94%
United SmallGroup $1,534.00 ↓ -91%
Aetna QHPExchange $1,579.00 ↓ -90%
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $1,732.00 ↓ -89%
Curative Administrators COMM $2,012.00 ↓ -88%
Aetna NBHMO $2,098.00 ↓ -87%
Aetna NBPOS $2,098.00 ↓ -87%
Oscar HIX $2,128.00 ↓ -87%
United AllPayerAppendix $2,191.00 ↓ -87%
Aetna COMMHMO $2,229.00 ↓ -86%
Aetna COMMPOS $2,229.00 ↓ -86%
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $2,251.00 ↓ -86%
Aetna NBPPO $2,299.00 ↓ -86%
Evry Health BroadNetwork $2,315.00 ↓ -86%
Cigna CSN $2,428.00 ↓ -85%
Aetna COMMPPO $2,444.00 ↓ -85%
Aetna OONHMO $2,623.00 ↓ -84%
Aetna OONPOS $2,623.00 ↓ -84%
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $2,631.00 ↓ -84%
United OptionsPPO $2,738.56 ↓ -83%
Aetna ASAHMO $2,832.00 ↓ -83%
Aetna ASAPOS $2,832.00 ↓ -83%
Aetna OONPPO $2,876.00 ↓ -82%
Aetna ASAPPO $3,106.00 ↓ -81%
Cigna PPO $3,128.00 ↓ -81%
BCBS MyBlueHealth $3,343.82 ↓ -79%
BCBS BAV $3,376.44 ↓ -79%
BCBS HMO $3,376.44 ↓ -79%
BCBS EPOSOA $3,914.71 ↓ -76%
BCBS PPO $4,452.98 ↓ -73%
Humana PPO $4,690.00 ↓ -71%
Humana HMO $4,690.00 ↓ -71%
BCBS Traditional $5,705.34 ↓ -65%
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $6,520.39 ↓ -60%
United GlobalAppendix $7,335.44 ↓ -55%
Coventry National First Health COMM $8,688.42 ↓ -47%

Visitor-reported prices

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Insert cath pleura with image at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $2,241.75 $1,729.35 – $6,405.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON $9,947.00 $437.34 – $2,838.17
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $2,241.75 $1,729.35 – $6,405.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $446.27 – $2,838.17
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $2,239.02 $446.27 – $3,967.42
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $1,952.51 $71.00 – $3,967.42
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $1,579.11 $71.00 – $3,967.42
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $2,239.02 $446.27 – $3,967.42

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →