Diag bronchoscope/catheter 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

$487.00

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.

$974.00

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.

$1,788.01 with Bcbs vs $7,152.04 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 $1,788.01 ↑ +267%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $1,814.83 ↑ +273%
Unitedhealthcare Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $1,823.77 ↑ +274%
Cigna Texas Healthspring Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $1,841.65 ↑ +278%
Molina Healthcare Advantage Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,877.41 ↑ +286%
Community Health Choice D-Snp Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $1,913.17 ↑ +293%
Procare Advantage Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $1,966.81 ↑ +304%
Humana Hmo/Pos $2,214.47 ↑ +355%
Community Health Choice Silver & Gold Exchange $2,914.45 ↑ +498%
Bcbs All Commercial Plans $2,918.44 ↑ +499%
Aetna New Business Discount Other Commercial Plan $2,989.00 ↑ +514%
Aetna Hmo/Pos/Ppo $3,081.00 ↑ +533%
Optum Health Transplant Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,486.62 ↑ +616%
Molina Healthcare Exchange $3,576.02 ↑ +634%
Entrust All Commercial Plans $3,695.00 ↑ +659%
Cigna Local Plus/Surefit Hmo/Ppo $3,849.00 ↑ +690%
Cigna Network C-24 Hmo/Ppo $3,849.00 ↑ +690%
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $3,894.00 ↑ +700%
Cigna Pcp Optional/Pcp Required Benefit Plans Hmo $4,074.00 ↑ +737%
Phcs Ppo $5,545.00 ↑ +1039%
Uae All Commercial Plans $7,152.04 ↑ +1369%

Visitor-reported prices

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Diag bronchoscope/catheter at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston $487.00 $1,788.01 – $5,545.00
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston $1,332.00 $1,788.01 – $7,152.04
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $564.11 – $2,932.75
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston not published $1,285.00 – $1,285.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $515.20 – $2,489.26
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston not published $1,285.00 – $1,285.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $525.71 – $2,489.26
Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital The Woodlands $487.00 $1,788.01 – $5,545.00

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →