MRA abdomen post contrast at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital
18220 Tomball Parkway, Houston, TX · Houstonmethodist · · NPI 1871619254
$996.50
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.
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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.
$1,993.00
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.
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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.
$990.16 with Aetna vs $2,247.55 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 →
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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 ?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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna | New Business Discount Other Commercial Plan | $990.16 | ↓ -1% |
| Aetna | Hmo/Pos/Ppo | $1,020.32 | ↑ +2% |
| Bcbs | All Commercial Plans | $2,247.55 | ↑ +126% |
Visitor-reported prices
Comments
MRA abdomen post contrast at other Texas hospitals
| Hospital | City | Cash price | Negotiated range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Methodist Hospital | Houston | $996.50 | $1,045.45 – $2,247.55 |
| Houston Methodist West Hospital | Houston | $996.50 | $990.16 – $2,247.55 |
| HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER | Houston | not published | $251.31 – $5,515.40 |
| HCA HOUSTON WEST | HOUSTON | not published | $251.92 – $5,515.40 |
| HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL | HOUSTON | not published | $251.31 – $5,515.40 |
| BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | Dallas | $1,948.22 | $552.00 – $2,759.98 |
| BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM | Brenham | $2,128.03 | $438.02 – $3,192.04 |
| BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA | Suite 110 | $2,234.43 | $446.89 – $2,793.04 |