Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (with contrast) at HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL

5003 CYPRESS CREEK PKWY, HOUSTON, TX · HCA Houston Healthcare · · NPI 1750819025

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$11,967.09

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$11,967.09

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.

$279.00 with Texas Childrens Healthplans vs $5,385.19 with United — 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
Texas Childrens Healthplans CHIP $279.00 ↓ -98%
Texas Childrens Healthplans MEDICAID $279.00 ↓ -98%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $282.68 ↓ -98%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $282.68 ↓ -98%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $282.68 ↓ -98%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $282.68 ↓ -98%
United MGMCD $288.33 ↓ -98%
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $305.29 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare CHIP $306.90 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $306.90 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $306.90 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STAR $306.90 ↓ -97%
Humana MCD $348.75 ↓ -97%
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $699.43 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STAR $718.03 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHIP $718.03 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $718.03 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $718.03 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARKids $718.03 ↓ -94%
BCBS MyBlueHealth $820.98 ↓ -93%
United AllPayerAppendix $828.27 ↓ -93%
United SmallGroup $828.27 ↓ -93%
BCBS BAV $946.99 ↓ -92%
Aetna QHPExchange $1,210.00 ↓ -90%
BCBS HMO $1,439.57 ↓ -88%
BCBS EPOSOA $1,577.04 ↓ -87%
Aetna NBHMO $1,605.00 ↓ -87%
Aetna NBPOS $1,605.00 ↓ -87%
Aetna NBPPO $1,605.00 ↓ -87%
Aetna COMMHMO $1,706.00 ↓ -86%
Aetna COMMPOS $1,706.00 ↓ -86%
Aetna COMMPPO $1,706.00 ↓ -86%
BCBS PPO $1,710.69 ↓ -86%
Aetna OONPPO $2,007.00 ↓ -83%
Aetna OONPOS $2,007.00 ↓ -83%
Aetna OONHMO $2,007.00 ↓ -83%
United OptionsPPO $2,010.47 ↓ -83%
Cigna CSN $2,127.00 ↓ -82%
Aetna ASAPOS $2,168.00 ↓ -82%
Aetna ASAPPO $2,168.00 ↓ -82%
Aetna ASAHMO $2,168.00 ↓ -82%
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $2,304.00 ↓ -81%
Cigna PPO $2,739.00 ↓ -77%
Humana PPO $4,086.46 ↓ -66%
Humana HMO $4,086.46 ↓ -66%
BCBS Traditional $4,188.48 ↓ -65%
Coventry National First Health COMM $4,356.02 ↓ -64%
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $4,786.84 ↓ -60%
United GlobalAppendix $5,385.19 ↓ -55%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (with contrast) at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston $2,914.00 $282.68 – $820.98
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $5,010.95 $279.00 – $14,317.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $5,010.95 $279.00 – $14,317.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $273.42 – $763.70
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $2,181.58 $279.00 – $2,726.97
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $2,446.79 $494.01 – $3,670.19
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $2,446.79 $279.00 – $3,058.49
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $2,181.58 $279.00 – $2,726.97

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →