Specimen fat stain 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

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.

$4.94 with Community Health Choice MCD vs $63.62 with Humana — 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
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $4.94
Texas Childrens Health Plans STARKIDS $4.94
Texas Childrens Health Plans STAR $4.94
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $4.94
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $4.94
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $4.94
United MGMCD $5.04
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $5.34
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $5.43
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $5.43
Molina Healthcare CHIP $5.43
Molina Healthcare STAR $5.43
Oscar MGMCR $5.76
TriWest Healthcare Alliance VeteransPCCC $5.76
Devoted Health MGMCR $5.88
Humana MedicareAdvantageHMO $5.88
Humana MedicareAdvantagePPOPFFS $5.88
United AllPayerAppendix $5.88
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $5.88
United SmallGroup $5.88
Cigna HealthSpring MCRHMO $5.88
Cigna HealthSpring MCRPPO $5.88
Cigna HealthSpring MCRSNP $5.88
Cigna HealthSpring PFFS $5.88
Cigna HealthSpring MMP $5.88
BCBS MCRPPO $5.88
BCBS MedicareAdvantageHMO $5.88
WellMed MGMCR $5.91
Van Lang IPA MCR $5.94
United MCR $6.00
WellCare POS $6.06
WellCare SNP $6.06
WellCare MCRHMO $6.06
WellCare PFFS $6.06
Integranet Amerigroup IPA MCR $6.06
WellCare PPO $6.06
Superior Health Plan MCRPPO $6.17
American Health Plan MGMCR $6.17
Superior Health Plan DualEligible $6.17
Superior Health Plan MCRHMO $6.17
Superior Health Plan MCRPOS $6.17
ProCare Advantage MGMCR $6.17
Superior Health Plan MCRSNP $6.17
Superior Health Plan PFFS $6.17
Shared Health MGMCR $6.17
Humana MCD $6.18
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PFFS $6.23
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas SNP $6.23
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas PPO $6.23
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas POS $6.23
Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas MCRHMO $6.23
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $6.36
TriWest Health Alliance TRCR $6.36
Molina MGMCR $6.41
Verda Health Plan MCR $7.64
Superior ValueHMO $8.53
Community Health Choice HIX $8.53
Superior EPO $9.11
Superior HMO $9.11
BCBS MyBlueHealth $11.88
Molina Healthcare HIX $12.64
BCBS BAV $13.11
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $14.29
BCBS HMO $16.41
Oscar HIX $16.99
BCBS EPOSOA $17.58
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Veterans $17.64
BCBS PPO $18.76
Aetna QHPExchange $21.55
Cigna CSN $23.69
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $25.65
Aetna NBPPO $28.65
Aetna NBHMO $28.65
Aetna NBPOS $28.65
Aetna COMMPOS $30.44
Aetna COMMPPO $30.44
Aetna COMMHMO $30.44
Cigna PPO $30.52
Aetna OONPOS $35.76
Aetna OONPPO $35.76
Aetna OONHMO $35.76
Aetna ASAPOS $38.67
Aetna ASAHMO $38.67
Aetna ASAPPO $38.67
Humana PPO $63.62
Humana HMO $63.62
Curative Administrators COMM not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Specimen fat stain at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - Springwoods Village Hospital Spring $28.70 $4.23 – $82.00
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $28.52 $5.87 – $42.79
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $27.68 $4.94 – $34.60
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - COLLEGE STATION College Station $28.52 $5.29 – $42.79
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE CONTINUING CARE HOSPITAL Temple $28.52 $4.94 – $42.79
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE EMERGENCY MEDICAL CENTER - CEDAR PARK Cedar Park $27.68 $4.94 – $41.53
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER HILLCREST Waco $28.52 $4.94 – $35.66
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MCLANE CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER Temple $28.52 $4.94 – $42.79

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →