Prices at 10 hospitals in Houston, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,313 — 56% above the US median ($2,125), roughly 13.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital | Houston, TX | $1,343 | $1,787 | — | — | — |
| St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage | Houston, TX | $2,966 | $3,373 | ★ 4/5 | 209 min | — |
| Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center | Houston, TX | $3,134 | — | ★ 4/5 | 252 min | — |
| Memorial Hermann Hospital System | Houston, TX | $3,134 | — | ★ 3/5 | 243 min | — |
| St Joseph Medical Center | Houston, TX | $3,492 | $2,793 | ★ 3/5 | 180 min | — |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest | Houston, TX | $7,500 | $2,434 | ★ 2/5 | 147 min | — |
| HCA Houston Healthcare West | Houston, TX | $7,500 | $2,434 | ★ 1/5 | 104 min | — |
| Healthbridge Childrens's Hospital of Houston | Houston, TX | $7,500 | $2,434 | — | — | — |
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 $3,313 — about 13.9× 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 $7,500 list price could save about $4,188 (56%).
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 Houston
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennie Chen, P-A.-C | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 57 |
| Juan Ruiz, MD | Anesthesiology | Houston, TX | 56 |
| Franchesca Meachem, MD | Anesthesiology | Houston, TX | 53 |
| Joanne Dalusung, NP-C | Nurse Practitioner | Houston, TX | 52 |
| Jacob Kuruvila, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 51 |
| Prakruthi Voore, MD | Critical Care (Intensivists) | Houston, TX | 47 |
| Jennifer Obodoechina, FNP | Nurse Practitioner | Houston, TX | 43 |
| Geena Arackal, NP | Nurse Practitioner | Houston, TX | 40 |
| Susanna Girocco, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 38 |
| Michael Wong, D.O. | Anesthesiology | Houston, TX | 34 |
| Jaspreet Lamba, M.D. | Anesthesiology | Houston, TX | 29 |
| Bill Chang, MD | Vascular Surgery | Houston, TX | 28 |
Central line placement in other Texas cities
All Central line placement prices in Texas → · All Central line placement prices (national) · All hospitals in Houston