Itemized  ·  Compare  ·  Houston Methodist Hospital vs HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center

Houston Methodist Hospital vs HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center.

Side-by-side prices for 30 procedures both hospitals publish, plus CMS quality ratings and metro context. Pulled from each hospital's federally-mandated price transparency file. Houston Methodist Hospital is cheaper on more procedures (14 vs 2).

Houston, TX
Houston Methodist
5/5 CMS
Cheaper on 14 of 30 procedures
vs.
Houston, TX
HCA
4/5 CMS
Cheaper on 2 of 30 procedures

Head-to-head, by procedure.

Procedure Houston HCA Cheaper
Brain MRI without contrast $1,336 $5,597 Houston ↓
Brain MRI with and without contrast $1,616 $5,935 Houston ↓
Lumbar spine MRI without contrast $1,056 $3,228 Houston ↓
Knee/lower-extremity MRI without contrast $1,230 $2,219 Houston ↓
CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast $2,362 $33,232 Houston ↓
Abdominal ultrasound, complete $990 $5,487 Houston ↓
Mammogram, screening $333 tie
DXA bone density scan $340 tie
Chest X-ray, single view $460 $1,238 Houston ↓
Comprehensive metabolic panel $573 $45 HCA ↓
Lipid panel $12 $53 Houston ↓
CBC with differential $153 tie
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) $11 $66 Houston ↓
Hemoglobin A1c $206 $38 HCA ↓
Urinalysis $25 $203 Houston ↓
Inguinal hernia repair, open $8,492 tie
Colonoscopy, diagnostic $519 tie
Colonoscopy with polyp removal $485 tie
Upper endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy $405 tie
Echocardiogram, complete with Doppler $1,429 $3,379 Houston ↓
Office visit, established patient, level 3 $205 tie
Office visit, established patient, level 4 $289 tie
Lumbar epidural steroid injection $5,878 tie
Polysomnography (sleep study) $4,055 tie
Thyroid ultrasound $880 $1,789 Houston ↓
New patient office visit, level 3 $272 tie
New patient office visit, level 4 $313 tie
Prostate biopsy $5,409 tie
Carotid duplex ultrasound $582 $5,074 Houston ↓
Psychotherapy, 45 minutes $247 $754 Houston ↓

Patient experience.

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

Measure Houston HCA
HCAHPS overall star rating 4/5 2/5
Would definitely recommend 81% 64%
Hospital rating 9 or 10 of 10 79% 70%
Nurses always communicated well 77% 75%
Doctors always communicated well 80% 76%
Given clear info about recovery 88% 80%
Room and bathroom always clean 72% 71%
Staff always explained meds 60% 57%
Quiet at night, always 67% 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.