Echo exam of fetal heart at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital

18220 Tomball Parkway, Houston, TX · Houstonmethodist · · NPI 1871619254

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.

$239.69 with Bcbs vs $492.35 with Bcbs — 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 $239.69
Cigna Local Plus/Surefit Hmo/Ppo $241.00
Cigna Network C-24 Hmo/Ppo $241.40
Aetna Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $243.28
Unitedhealthcare Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $244.48
Cigna Texas Healthspring Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $246.88
Molina Healthcare Advantage Medicare Managed Care Plan $251.67
Cigna Pcp Optional/Pcp Required Benefit Plans Hmo $255.55
Community Health Choice D-Snp Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $256.47
Procare Advantage Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $263.66
Community Health Choice Silver & Gold Exchange $390.69
Aetna New Business Discount Other Commercial Plan $442.03
Aetna Hmo/Pos/Ppo $455.49
Optum Health Transplant Medicare Managed Care Plan $467.39
Molina Healthcare Exchange $479.38
Bcbs All Commercial Plans $492.35

Visitor-reported prices

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Echo exam of fetal heart at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $157.38 – $714.51
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $153.90 – $714.51
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $157.04 – $714.51
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston not published $239.69 – $958.76
Houston Methodist West Hospital Houston not published $239.69 – $958.76
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $378.00 $157.04 – $607.02
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $569.48 $117.22 – $854.22
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $767.01 $157.04 – $958.76

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →