Assay of silica at Houston Methodist West Hospital

18500 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX · Houstonmethodist · · NPI 1083937593

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 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.

$25.21 with Cigna vs $290.81 with Cigna — 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
Cigna Texas Healthspring Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $25.21
Aetna Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $25.59
Unitedhealthcare Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $25.71
Molina Healthcare Advantage Medicare Managed Care Plan $26.47
Community Health Choice D-Snp Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $26.97
Procare Advantage Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $27.73
Community Health Choice Silver & Gold Exchange $41.09
Optum Health Transplant Medicare Managed Care Plan $49.16
Molina Healthcare Exchange $50.42
Uae All Commercial Plans $100.84
Bcbs All Commercial Plans $104.87
Cigna Network C-24 Hmo/Ppo $274.71
Cigna Local Plus/Surefit Hmo/Ppo $274.71
Cigna Pcp Optional/Pcp Required Benefit Plans Hmo $290.81

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of silica at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $21.18 – $103.14
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $20.76 – $103.14
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $21.18 – $103.14
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston not published $25.21 – $104.87
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston not published $25.21 – $104.87
Adventhealth Rollins Brook Lampasas not published $22.69 – $97.06
CHRISTUS Children's Hospital San Antonio not published $21.97 – $87.51
HCA HOUSTON CLEAR LAKE FRIENDSWOOD not published $20.76 – $103.14

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →