Sodium serum/plasma/whole blood 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.

$4.04 with Community Health Choice MCD vs $163.78 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 $4.04
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $4.04
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $4.04
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $4.04
United MGMCD $4.12
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $4.36
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $4.44
Molina Healthcare CHIP $4.44
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $4.44
Molina Healthcare STAR $4.44
Oscar MGMCR $4.71
Cigna HealthSpring PFFS $4.81
TriWest Healthcare Alliance FED $4.81
United AllPayerAppendix $4.81
Humana MedicareAdvantageHMO $4.81
Humana MedicareAdvantagePPOPFFS $4.81
Devoted Health MGMCR $4.81
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $4.81
United SmallGroup $4.81
Cigna HealthSpring MCRHMO $4.81
Cigna HealthSpring MCRPPO $4.81
Cigna HealthSpring MCRSNP $4.81
BCBS MedicareAdvantageHMO $4.81
BCBS MCRPPO $4.81
Cigna HealthSpring MMP $4.81
WellMed MGMCR $4.83
Van Lang IPA MCR $4.86
United MCR $4.91
WellCare MCRHMO $4.95
WellCare POS $4.95
WellCare PFFS $4.95
WellCare PPO $4.95
Integranet Amerigroup IPA MCR $4.95
WellCare SNP $4.95
American Health Plan MGMCR $5.05
Humana MCD $5.05
Superior Health Plan DualEligible $5.05
Superior Health Plan MCRHMO $5.05
Superior Health Plan MCRPOS $5.05
Superior Health Plan MCRPPO $5.05
Superior Health Plan MCRSNP $5.05
Superior Health Plan PFFS $5.05
ProCare Advantage MGMCR $5.05
Shared Health MGMCR $5.05
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas SNP $5.10
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PPO $5.10
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PFFS $5.10
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas MCRHMO $5.10
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas POS $5.10
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $5.21
TriWest Health Alliance TRCR $5.21
Molina MGMCR $5.24
Verda Health Plan MCR $6.25
Community Health Choice HIX $6.97
Superior ValueHMO $6.97
Superior EPO $7.46
Superior HMO $7.46
BCBS MyBlueHealth $9.72
Molina Healthcare HIX $10.34
BCBS BAV $10.73
BCBS HMO $13.42
Oscar HIX $13.90
BCBS EPOSOA $14.38
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $14.43
BCBS PPO $15.34
Aetna QHPExchange $17.64
Superior Health Plan STARKids $18.44
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $18.44
Superior Health Plan CHIP $18.44
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $18.44
Superior Health Plan STAR $18.44
Cigna CSN $19.53
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $21.15
Aetna NBPPO $23.46
Aetna NBPOS $23.46
Aetna NBHMO $23.46
Aetna COMMPPO $24.92
Aetna COMMPOS $24.92
Aetna COMMHMO $24.92
Cigna PPO $25.17
Aetna OONPPO $29.28
Aetna OONPOS $29.28
Aetna OONHMO $29.28
Aetna ASAPPO $31.66
Aetna ASAHMO $31.66
Aetna ASAPOS $31.66
United OptionsPPO $51.62
Humana PPO $64.27
Humana HMO $64.27
Evry Health BroadNetwork $83.89
BCBS Traditional $107.55
United GlobalAppendix $138.28
Coventry National First Health COMM $163.78
Curative Administrators COMM not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Sodium serum/plasma/whole blood at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $39.20 $3.46 – $112.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $39.20 $3.46 – $112.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $4.04 – $19.53
Adventhealth Rollins Brook Lampasas $108.83 $4.33 – $18.52
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $62.12 $4.04 – $77.66
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $58.28 $7.05 – $87.43
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $62.87 $4.04 – $78.58
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $62.12 $4.04 – $77.66

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →