Prices at 5 hospitals in Birmingham, AL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $5,124 — 141% above the US median ($2,125), roughly 21.5× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent's East | Birmingham, AL | $5,124 | $22,158 | ★ 3/5 | 158 min | — |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | $5,124 | $22,158 | ★ 3/5 | 243 min | — |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama | Birmingham, AL | $18,146 | $4,953 | — | — | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $5,124 — about 21.5× the Medicare rate ($238). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($476).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $13,849 list price could save about $8,725 (63%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Birmingham
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalyan Prudhvi, MD | Critical Care (Intensivists) | Birmingham, AL | 20 |
| Joshua Williams, M.D. | Family Practice | Birmingham, AL | 18 |
| William Thompson, MD | General Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 17 |
| Eric Pozzo, PA | Physician Assistant | Birmingham, AL | 17 |
| Jacob Enslin, M.D. | Anesthesiology | Birmingham, AL | 17 |
| Andrew Frey, D.O. | General Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 17 |
| Charles Warren, M.D. | Anesthesiology | Birmingham, AL | 13 |
| Phillip Stotler | Nurse Practitioner | Birmingham, AL | 12 |
| Austin Powell, CRNP | Nurse Practitioner | Birmingham, AL | 12 |
| James Tomlinson, MD | Anesthesiology | Birmingham, AL | 12 |
| Winn Mathews, M.D. | General Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 12 |
All Central line placement prices in Alabama → · All Central line placement prices (national) · All hospitals in Birmingham