Thyroid uptake measurement 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

$867.50

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.

$1,735.00

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.

$278.95 with Aetna vs $803.19 with Molina Healthcare — 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
Aetna New Business Discount Other Commercial Plan $278.95 ↓ -68%
Aetna Hmo/Pos/Ppo $287.45 ↓ -67%
Bcbs All Commercial Plans $295.42 ↓ -66%
Bcbs Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $401.59 ↓ -54%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $407.62 ↓ -53%
Unitedhealthcare Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $409.62 ↓ -53%
Cigna Texas Healthspring Medicare Managed Care - Hmo/Ppo $413.64 ↓ -52%
Molina Healthcare Advantage Medicare Managed Care Plan $421.67 ↓ -51%
Community Health Choice D-Snp Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $429.70 ↓ -50%
Procare Advantage Medicare Managed Care - Hmo $441.75 ↓ -49%
Community Health Choice Silver & Gold Exchange $654.60 ↓ -25%
Optum Health Transplant Medicare Managed Care Plan $783.11 ↓ -10%
Molina Healthcare Exchange $803.19 ↓ -7%

Visitor-reported prices

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Thyroid uptake measurement at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $370.30 $80.86 – $1,058.00
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON $5,215.00 $79.58 – $423.24
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $370.30 $80.86 – $1,058.00
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston $1,269.50 $294.53 – $1,606.37
Houston Methodist West Hospital Houston $867.50 $278.95 – $1,606.37
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON not published $80.86 – $423.24
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $680.77 $81.20 – $1,021.72
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $526.55 $108.38 – $1,021.72

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →