Smear special stain inclusion bodies/parasites 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.

$5.03 with Community Health Choice MCD vs $277.65 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 $5.03
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $5.03
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $5.03
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $5.03
United MGMCD $5.13
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $5.43
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $5.53
Molina Healthcare CHIP $5.53
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $5.53
Molina Healthcare STAR $5.53
Oscar MGMCR $5.87
Cigna HealthSpring PFFS $5.99
TriWest Healthcare Alliance FED $5.99
United AllPayerAppendix $5.99
Humana MedicareAdvantageHMO $5.99
Humana MedicareAdvantagePPOPFFS $5.99
Devoted Health MGMCR $5.99
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $5.99
United SmallGroup $5.99
Cigna HealthSpring MCRHMO $5.99
Cigna HealthSpring MCRPPO $5.99
Cigna HealthSpring MCRSNP $5.99
BCBS MedicareAdvantageHMO $5.99
BCBS MCRPPO $5.99
Cigna HealthSpring MMP $5.99
WellMed MGMCR $6.02
Van Lang IPA MCR $6.05
United MCR $6.11
WellCare MCRHMO $6.17
WellCare POS $6.17
WellCare PFFS $6.17
WellCare PPO $6.17
Integranet Amerigroup IPA MCR $6.17
WellCare SNP $6.17
American Health Plan MGMCR $6.29
Humana MCD $6.29
Superior Health Plan DualEligible $6.29
Superior Health Plan MCRHMO $6.29
Superior Health Plan MCRPOS $6.29
Superior Health Plan MCRPPO $6.29
Superior Health Plan MCRSNP $6.29
Superior Health Plan PFFS $6.29
ProCare Advantage MGMCR $6.29
Shared Health MGMCR $6.29
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas SNP $6.35
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PPO $6.35
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PFFS $6.35
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas MCRHMO $6.35
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas POS $6.35
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $6.48
TriWest Health Alliance TRCR $6.48
Molina MGMCR $6.53
Verda Health Plan MCR $7.79
Community Health Choice HIX $8.69
Superior ValueHMO $8.69
Superior EPO $9.28
Superior HMO $9.28
BCBS MyBlueHealth $12.10
Molina Healthcare HIX $12.88
BCBS BAV $13.36
BCBS HMO $16.71
Oscar HIX $17.31
BCBS EPOSOA $17.91
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $17.99
BCBS PPO $19.11
Aetna QHPExchange $21.93
Cigna CSN $25.07
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $27.16
Aetna NBPPO $29.17
Aetna NBHMO $29.17
Aetna NBPOS $29.17
Aetna COMMHMO $30.99
Aetna COMMPPO $30.99
Aetna COMMPOS $30.99
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $31.26
Superior Health Plan CHIP $31.26
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $31.26
Superior Health Plan STAR $31.26
Superior Health Plan STARKids $31.26
Cigna PPO $32.31
Aetna OONPPO $36.40
Aetna OONPOS $36.40
Aetna OONHMO $36.40
Aetna ASAHMO $39.36
Aetna ASAPPO $39.36
Aetna ASAPOS $39.36
Humana HMO $80.07
Humana PPO $80.07
United OptionsPPO $87.51
Evry Health BroadNetwork $142.21
BCBS Traditional $182.32
United GlobalAppendix $234.41
Coventry National First Health COMM $277.65
Curative Administrators COMM not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Smear special stain inclusion bodies/parasites at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $44.45 $4.31 – $127.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $44.45 $4.31 – $127.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $4.93 – $25.07
Adventhealth Rollins Brook Lampasas $168.03 $5.39 – $23.06
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $100.78 $5.03 – $125.97
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $94.10 $8.78 – $141.16
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $81.20 $5.03 – $101.50
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $100.78 $5.03 – $125.97

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →