Bone/joint imaging ltd area 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

$2,382.50

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.

$4,765.00

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.

$401.59 with Bcbs vs $1,606.37 with Uae — 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
Bcbs Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $401.59 ↓ -83%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $407.62 ↓ -83%
Unitedhealthcare Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $409.62 ↓ -83%
Cigna Texas Healthspring Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $413.64 ↓ -83%
Molina Healthcare Advantage Medicare Managed Care Plan $421.67 ↓ -82%
Community Health Choice D-Snp Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $429.70 ↓ -82%
Procare Advantage Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $441.75 ↓ -81%
Community Health Choice Silver & Gold Exchange $654.60 ↓ -73%
Aetna New Business Discount Other Commercial Plan $667.51 ↓ -72%
Aetna Hmo/Pos/Ppo $687.85 ↓ -71%
Optum Health Transplant Medicare Managed Care Plan $783.11 ↓ -67%
Molina Healthcare Exchange $803.19 ↓ -66%
Bcbs All Commercial Plans $820.59 ↓ -66%
Cigna Local Plus/Surefit Hmo/Ppo $846.00 ↓ -64%
Cigna Network C-24 Hmo/Ppo $846.02 ↓ -64%
Cigna Pcp Optional/Pcp Required Benefit Plans Hmo $895.60 ↓ -62%
Uae All Commercial Plans $1,606.37 ↓ -33%

Visitor-reported prices

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Bone/joint imaging ltd area at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston $6,338.63 $225.88 – $1,112.41
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $1,506.40 $212.18 – $4,304.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $1,506.40 $212.18 – $4,304.00
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston $2,382.50 $401.59 – $783.11
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston $1,350.00 $401.59 – $1,606.37
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $207.94 – $1,112.41
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $212.18 – $1,112.41
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $1,333.26 $203.15 – $1,666.58

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →