Diathermy eg microwave at St. Luke's Health - Patients Medical Center

4600 E. Sam Houston Parkway South, Pasadena, TX · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1407990088

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$38.75

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.

$110.70

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.

$10.53 with BCBS - TX vs $520.00 with United — 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 - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $10.53 ↓ -73%
BCBS-TX Commercial|Exchange $12.18 ↓ -69%
BCBS-TX Commercial|Blue Premier $15.29 ↓ -61%
BCBS-TX Commercial|HMO $20.19 ↓ -48%
BCBS-TX Commercial|PPO $22.93 ↓ -41%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $66.42 ↑ +71%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $71.96 ↑ +86%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $71.96 ↑ +86%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $77.49 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $77.49 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $83.03 ↑ +114%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $100.00 ↑ +158%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $100.00 ↑ +158%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $100.00 ↑ +158%
United Commercial|Exchange $317.00 ↑ +718%
United Commercial|Charter $468.00 ↑ +1108%
United Commercial|PPO $520.00 ↑ +1242%
United Commercial|HMO $520.00 ↑ +1242%

Visitor-reported prices

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Diathermy eg microwave at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HOUSTON SOUTHEAST PASADENA not published $7.29 – $21.05
Ascension Seton Cedar Park Hospital Cedar Park $16.51 $6.46 – $33.15
Ascension Seton Edgar B. Davis (Ascension Seton) Luling $32.13 $6.46 – $33.15
Ascension Seton Highland Lakes (Ascension Seton) Burnet $32.13 $6.46 – $33.15
Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin (Ascension Seton) Austin $32.13 $6.46 – $33.15
Ascension Seton Northwest (Ascension Seton) Austin $32.13 $6.46 – $33.15
Ascension Seton Smithville (Ascension Seton) Smithville $17.37 $6.46 – $33.15
Dell Children's Medical Center (Ascension Seton) Austin $33.78 $6.46 – $33.15

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →