Kidney img w/bldflw sgl without rx 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

$2,255.50

Cash price

?

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.

$4,511.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$545.44 with Bcbs vs $2,181.78 with Uae — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $545.44 ↓ -76%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $553.63 ↓ -75%
Unitedhealthcare Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $556.35 ↓ -75%
Cigna Texas Healthspring Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $561.81 ↓ -75%
Molina Healthcare Advantage Medicare Managed Care Plan $572.72 ↓ -75%
Community Health Choice D-Snp Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $583.62 ↓ -74%
Procare Advantage Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $599.99 ↓ -73%
Aetna New Business Discount Other Commercial Plan $648.88 ↓ -71%
Aetna Hmo/Pos/Ppo $668.64 ↓ -70%
Bcbs All Commercial Plans $766.38 ↓ -66%
Community Health Choice Silver & Gold Exchange $889.07 ↓ -61%
Optum Health Transplant Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,063.62 ↓ -53%
Molina Healthcare Exchange $1,090.89 ↓ -52%
Cigna Network C-24 Hmo/Ppo $1,512.64 ↓ -33%
Cigna Local Plus/Surefit Hmo/Ppo $1,513.00 ↓ -33%
Cigna Pcp Optional/Pcp Required Benefit Plans Hmo $1,601.30 ↓ -29%
Uae All Commercial Plans $2,181.78 ↓ -3%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Kidney img w/bldflw sgl without rx at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston $5,060.92 $227.21 – $1,050.60
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $1,631.00 $218.53 – $4,660.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $1,631.00 $218.53 – $4,660.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON $7,036.35 $218.53 – $1,050.60
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston $2,255.50 $545.44 – $1,063.62
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston $1,830.00 $545.44 – $2,181.78
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $1,468.04 $212.84 – $1,835.05
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $1,465.10 $301.57 – $2,197.65

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →