Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  Ben Taub Hospital vs HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center

Ben Taub Hospital vs HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center.

Side-by-side prices for 32 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. Ben Taub Hospital is cheaper on more procedures (15 vs 0).

Ben Taub Hospital
Houston, TX
Harris Health
Cheaper on 15 of 32 procedures
vs.
HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center
Houston, TX
HCA
4/5 CMS
Cheaper on 0 of 32 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure Ben HCA Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $231 $5,597 Ben ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $362 $5,935 Ben ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $231 $3,228 Ben ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $231 $2,219 Ben ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $362 $33,232 Ben ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $104 $5,487 Ben ↓
Mammogram, screening $90 — tie
DXA bone density scan $104 — tie
Chest X-ray, single view $86 $1,238 Ben ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $11 $45 Ben ↓
Lipid panel $13 $53 Ben ↓
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $17 $66 Ben ↓
Hemoglobin A1c — $38 tie
Urinalysis $19 $203 Ben ↓
Cataract surgery, one eye $2,196 — tie
Vaginal delivery, global $2,508 — tie
Cesarean delivery, global $2,801 — tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $3,104 — tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $3,104 — tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $3,556 — tie
EKG with interpretation $14 — tie
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $520 $3,379 Ben ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $42 — tie
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $58 — tie
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $859 — tie
Total abdominal hysterectomy $1,040 — tie
Thyroid ultrasound $104 $1,789 Ben ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $68 — tie
New patient office visit, level 4 $98 — tie
Prostate biopsy $1,919 — tie
Carotid duplex ultrasound $231 $5,074 Ben ↓
Psychotherapy, 45 minutes $93 $754 Ben ↓

Patient experience.

CMS HCAHPS patient survey, period ending 03/31/2025. Bold = higher score.

Measure Ben HCA
HCAHPS overall star rating — 2/5
Would definitely recommend — 64%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 — 70%
Nurses always communicated well — 75%
Doctors always communicated well — 76%
Given clear info about recovery — 80%
Room and bathroom always clean — 71%
Staff always explained meds — 57%
Quiet at night, always — 67%

Add your insurance.

Cash-pay is one number. With your insurance plan, the actual price differs. Pick your insurer in the comparison tool to see plan-specific rates at both hospitals.

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How to read this comparison.

The cash-pay price is what an uninsured patient would be charged at each hospital. It's the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison because it doesn't depend on your insurance plan.

The CMS rating is the federal quality composite, built from ~50 measures spanning safety, mortality, readmission, patient experience, and timeliness. A 5-star hospital may not be the best at every procedure, and a 3-star hospital can have a strong specific service line. Treat the rating as one input, not the answer.

For your specific insurance plan, prices can shift dramatically. Some hospitals negotiate steep discounts with one insurer and not another. Always check the plan-specific rate before you book.