Brain MRI (with contrast) at HCA HOUSTON NORTHWEST

621 RAYFORD RD, SPRING, TX · HCA Houston Healthcare · · NPI 1740450121

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$21,255.44

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.

$21,255.44

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.

$278.66 with Texas Childrens Health Plans vs $11,329.15 with Coventry National First Health — 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
Texas Childrens Health Plans STAR $278.66 ↓ -99%
Texas Childrens Health Plans STARKIDS $278.66 ↓ -99%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $282.68 ↓ -99%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $282.68 ↓ -99%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $282.68 ↓ -99%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $282.68 ↓ -99%
United MGMCD $288.33 ↓ -99%
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $305.29 ↓ -99%
Molina Healthcare CHIP $306.53 ↓ -99%
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $306.53 ↓ -99%
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $306.53 ↓ -99%
Molina Healthcare STAR $306.53 ↓ -99%
Humana MCD $348.33 ↓ -98%
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $699.43 ↓ -97%
United SmallGroup $828.27 ↓ -96%
United AllPayerAppendix $828.27 ↓ -96%
BCBS MyBlueHealth $828.61 ↓ -96%
BCBS BAV $946.99 ↓ -96%
Aetna QHPExchange $1,210.00 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $1,275.33 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARKids $1,275.33 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $1,275.33 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHIP $1,275.33 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STAR $1,275.33 ↓ -94%
BCBS HMO $1,439.57 ↓ -93%
BCBS EPOSOA $1,569.40 ↓ -93%
Aetna NBHMO $1,605.00 ↓ -92%
Aetna NBPOS $1,605.00 ↓ -92%
Aetna NBPPO $1,605.00 ↓ -92%
BCBS PPO $1,699.23 ↓ -92%
Aetna COMMPPO $1,706.00 ↓ -92%
Aetna COMMPOS $1,706.00 ↓ -92%
Aetna COMMHMO $1,706.00 ↓ -92%
Aetna OONPPO $2,007.00 ↓ -91%
Aetna OONHMO $2,007.00 ↓ -91%
Aetna OONPOS $2,007.00 ↓ -91%
Cigna CSN $2,127.00 ↓ -90%
Aetna ASAPPO $2,168.00 ↓ -90%
Aetna ASAHMO $2,168.00 ↓ -90%
Aetna ASAPOS $2,168.00 ↓ -90%
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $2,304.00 ↓ -89%
Cigna PPO $2,739.00 ↓ -87%
Texas Childrens Health Plans CHIP $3,528.40 ↓ -83%
United OptionsPPO $3,570.91 ↓ -83%
Humana PPO $4,061.62 ↓ -81%
Humana HMO $4,061.62 ↓ -81%
BCBS Traditional $7,439.40 ↓ -65%
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $8,502.18 ↓ -60%
United GlobalAppendix $9,564.95 ↓ -55%
Coventry National First Health COMM $11,329.15 ↓ -47%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brain MRI (with contrast) at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - Springwoods Village Hospital Spring $2,224.60 $278.66 – $6,356.00
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $2,224.96 $278.66 – $2,781.20
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $2,163.67 $445.36 – $3,245.51
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $2,554.03 $278.66 – $3,192.54
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $2,224.96 $278.66 – $2,781.20
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - COLLEGE STATION College Station $2,163.67 $298.17 – $3,245.51
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE CONTINUING CARE HOSPITAL Temple $2,163.67 $278.66 – $3,245.51
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE EMERGENCY MEDICAL CENTER - CEDAR PARK Cedar Park $2,554.03 $278.66 – $3,831.05

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →