Myelography thoracic spine 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.

$118.72 with Molina Healthcare vs $3,449.52 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
Molina Healthcare STAR $118.72
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $118.72
Molina Healthcare CHIP $118.72
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $118.72
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $120.63
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $120.63
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $120.63
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $120.63
United MGMCD $123.04
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $130.28
Humana MCD $134.91
Cigna CSN $269.18
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $291.31
Cigna PPO $346.29
Superior Health Plan STARKids $388.31
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $388.31
Superior Health Plan CHIP $388.31
Superior Health Plan STAR $388.31
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $388.31
Aetna QHPExchange $437.90
Aetna NBPPO $582.01
Aetna NBPOS $582.01
Aetna NBHMO $582.01
Aetna COMMHMO $619.12
Aetna COMMPPO $619.12
Aetna COMMPOS $619.12
Aetna OONPPO $727.97
Aetna OONHMO $727.97
Aetna OONPOS $727.97
Aetna ASAHMO $786.73
Aetna ASAPOS $786.73
Aetna ASAPPO $786.73
Humana HMO $906.20
Humana PPO $906.20
United OptionsPPO $1,087.28
BCBS MyBlueHealth $1,198.24
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $1,358.84
BCBS BAV $1,518.23
United SmallGroup $1,609.16
United AllPayerAppendix $1,609.16
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $1,650.33
Evry Health BroadNetwork $1,766.83
BCBS Traditional $2,265.16
BCBS HMO $2,314.79
BCBS EPOSOA $2,478.18
Curative Administrators COMM $2,588.76
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $2,588.76
BCBS PPO $2,634.77
United GlobalAppendix $2,912.35
Coventry National First Health COMM $3,449.52

Visitor-reported prices

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Myelography thoracic spine at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $516.60 $107.93 – $1,476.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $516.60 $107.93 – $1,476.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $105.77 – $1,198.24
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $107.93 – $1,198.24
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $1,014.13 $107.93 – $1,983.49
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $1,370.02 $282.00 – $2,055.03
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $1,370.02 $107.93 – $1,983.49
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $1,014.13 $107.93 – $1,983.49

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →