Mid and Lower Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) X-ray at HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER

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

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Sep 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 24, 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.

$34.75 with Community Health Choice MCD vs $3,398.16 with Multiplan — 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 CHIPPerinatal $34.75 —
Amerigroup MCDCHIPBH $34.75 —
Amerigroup MGMCD $34.75 —
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $34.75 —
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $34.75 —
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $34.75 —
United MGMCD $35.45 —
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $37.53 —
Molina Healthcare CHIP $38.23 —
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $38.23 —
Molina Healthcare STAR $38.23 —
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $38.23 —
Humana MCD $43.44 —
Cigna CSN $89.58 —
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $96.94 —
Cigna PPO $115.24 —
BCBS MyBlueHealth $140.47 —
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $153.71 —
BCBS BAV $177.98 —
United AllPayerAppendix $182.03 —
United SmallGroup $182.03 —
Aetna NBHMO $204.48 —
Aetna NBPOS $204.48 —
Aetna NBPPO $204.48 —
Aetna COMMHMO $217.57 —
Aetna COMMPOS $217.57 —
Aetna COMMPPO $217.57 —
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $239.87 —
Superior Health Plan CHIP $239.87 —
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $239.87 —
Superior Health Plan STAR $239.87 —
Superior Health Plan STARKids $239.87 —
Aetna OONHMO $255.80 —
Aetna OONPOS $255.80 —
Aetna OONPPO $255.80 —
BCBS HMO $271.35 —
Aetna ASAPOS $276.58 —
Aetna ASAHMO $276.58 —
Aetna ASAPPO $276.58 —
BCBS EPOSOA $290.51 —
BCBS PPO $308.86 —
United OptionsPPO $671.64 —
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $1,019.45 —
Evry Health BroadNetwork $1,091.41 —
Humana PPO $1,324.48 —
Humana HMO $1,324.48 —
BCBS Traditional $1,399.24 —
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $1,599.13 —
Curative Administrators COMM $1,599.13 —
United GlobalAppendix $1,799.02 —
Coventry National First Health COMM $2,070.88 —
Multiplan PHCSPrimaryNetwork $2,998.37 —
Multiplan ComplementaryNetwork $3,398.16 —

Visitor-reported prices

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Mid and Lower Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) X-ray at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $361.55 $34.75 – $1,033.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $361.55 $34.75 – $1,033.00
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston $615.50 $87.42 – $170.47
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston $314.00 $87.42 – $349.69
Houston Methodist West Hospital Houston $615.50 $87.42 – $349.69
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $34.05 – $204.48
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $34.75 – $204.48
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $298.58 $34.75 – $373.23

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →