Diffusing capacity at St. Luke's Health - Lakeside Hospital

17400 St Lukes Way, The Woodlands, TX · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1184868879

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

$556.15

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.

$1,589.00

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.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$68.40 with BCBS - TX vs $1,589.00 with MHealth Network — 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
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $68.40 ↓ -88%
BCBS-TX Commercial|Exchange $79.18 ↓ -86%
BCBS-TX Commercial|Blue Premier $99.32 ↓ -82%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $100.00 ↓ -82%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $100.00 ↓ -82%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $100.00 ↓ -82%
BCBS-TX Commercial|HMO $131.18 ↓ -76%
BCBS-TX Commercial|PPO $148.98 ↓ -73%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $429.03 ↓ -23%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $556.15 ↑ +0%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $574.91 ↑ +3%
United Commercial|Exchange $597.00 ↑ +7%
United Commercial|Optum $746.83 ↑ +34%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $873.95 ↑ +57%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $873.95 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $873.95 ↑ +57%
United Commercial|Charter $881.00 ↑ +58%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $953.40 ↑ +71%
United Commercial|PPO $979.00 ↑ +76%
United Commercial|HMO $979.00 ↑ +76%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $1,032.85 ↑ +86%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $1,032.85 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,032.85 ↑ +86%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $1,112.30 ↑ +100%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $1,112.30 ↑ +100%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $1,112.30 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $1,191.75 ↑ +114%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $1,312.84 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $1,350.65 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $1,589.00 ↑ +186%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Diffusing capacity at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $395.37 $112.02 – $560.11
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $434.72 $89.48 – $652.09
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $478.63 $95.73 – $598.29
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $395.37 $105.43 – $560.11
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - COLLEGE STATION College Station $434.72 $139.55 – $652.09
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE CONTINUING CARE HOSPITAL Temple $434.72 $224.61 – $652.09
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE EMERGENCY MEDICAL CENTER - CEDAR PARK Cedar Park $478.63 $141.49 – $717.95
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE ALL SAINTS MEDICAL CENTER - FORT WORTH Fort Worth $395.37 $105.43 – $560.11

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →