Lactic acid 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.

$2.69 with Superior Health Plan vs $142.72 with Humana — 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
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $2.69
Superior Health Plan CHIP $2.69
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $2.69
Superior Health Plan STAR $2.69
Superior Health Plan STARKids $2.69
United OptionsPPO $7.53
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $9.72
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $9.72
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $9.72
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $9.72
United MGMCD $9.91
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $10.50
Molina Healthcare STAR $10.69
Molina Healthcare CHIP $10.69
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $10.69
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $10.69
Oscar MGMCR $11.34
Cigna HealthSpring MCRHMO $11.57
Devoted Health MGMCR $11.57
TriWest Healthcare Alliance FED $11.57
Humana MedicareAdvantageHMO $11.57
Humana MedicareAdvantagePPOPFFS $11.57
BCBS MedicareAdvantageHMO $11.57
BCBS MCRPPO $11.57
United AllPayerAppendix $11.57
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $11.57
United SmallGroup $11.57
Cigna HealthSpring MMP $11.57
Cigna HealthSpring PFFS $11.57
Cigna HealthSpring MCRSNP $11.57
Cigna HealthSpring MCRPPO $11.57
WellMed MGMCR $11.63
Van Lang IPA MCR $11.69
United MCR $11.80
WellCare PPO $11.92
WellCare POS $11.92
WellCare SNP $11.92
WellCare MCRHMO $11.92
Integranet Amerigroup IPA MCR $11.92
WellCare PFFS $11.92
Shared Health MGMCR $12.15
American Health Plan MGMCR $12.15
Superior Health Plan DualEligible $12.15
Superior Health Plan MCRHMO $12.15
Superior Health Plan MCRPOS $12.15
Superior Health Plan MCRPPO $12.15
Superior Health Plan MCRSNP $12.15
Superior Health Plan PFFS $12.15
Humana MCD $12.15
ProCare Advantage MGMCR $12.15
Evry Health BroadNetwork $12.24
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas SNP $12.26
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PPO $12.26
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PFFS $12.26
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas POS $12.26
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas MCRHMO $12.26
TriWest Health Alliance TRCR $12.52
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $12.52
Molina MGMCR $12.61
Verda Health Plan MCR $15.04
BCBS Traditional $15.69
Community Health Choice HIX $16.78
Superior ValueHMO $16.78
Superior HMO $17.93
Superior EPO $17.93
United GlobalAppendix $20.18
BCBS MyBlueHealth $23.37
Coventry National First Health COMM $23.90
Molina Healthcare HIX $24.88
BCBS BAV $25.80
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $32.05
BCBS HMO $32.28
Oscar HIX $33.44
BCBS EPOSOA $34.59
BCBS PPO $36.91
Aetna QHPExchange $42.37
Cigna CSN $47.41
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $51.36
Aetna NBPPO $56.34
Aetna NBPOS $56.34
Aetna NBHMO $56.34
Aetna COMMPOS $59.86
Aetna COMMPPO $59.86
Aetna COMMHMO $59.86
Cigna PPO $61.10
Aetna OONPOS $70.32
Aetna OONHMO $70.32
Aetna OONPPO $70.32
Aetna ASAHMO $76.03
Aetna ASAPPO $76.03
Aetna ASAPOS $76.03
Humana HMO $142.72
Humana PPO $142.72
Curative Administrators COMM not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Lactic acid at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $102.90 $8.33 – $294.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $102.90 $8.33 – $294.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $9.53 – $47.41
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $9.72 – $47.41
Adventhealth Rollins Brook Lampasas $255.68 $10.41 – $44.54
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $145.94 $9.72 – $182.42
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $105.31 $12.00 – $157.97
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $143.48 $9.72 – $179.35

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →