What Hospitals Charge in Louisiana: A Price Transparency Data Analysis

Lab Work: Where the Price Gaps Are Most Extreme

Routine lab tests are among the most commonly ordered — and most commonly overcharged — medical services in the U.S. In Louisiana, the price variation on basic labs is staggering.

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CPT 80053)

A patient at Tulane Medical Center would pay 185x more for the same blood panel than the price listed at East Carroll Parish Hospital. Even excluding the extremes, the middle of the range varies by 7x — from $77 at Assumption Community to $487 at Rapides Regional.

Urinalysis (CPT 81001)

A urinalysis — one of the simplest, cheapest lab tests — ranges from $2.38 to $391 across Louisiana hospitals. That's a 164x spread.

All Lab Tests — Lowest vs. Highest Cash Price

East Carroll Parish Hospital dominates the low end across every lab test. This 25-bed critical access hospital in rural northeast Louisiana consistently lists prices at or near Medicare reimbursement levels. Whether these prices are genuinely available to self-pay patients or represent a data reporting issue is unclear — but they are what the hospital has published in its federally mandated price file.

CT Scans: 123x Variation and Rising

CT imaging prices in Louisiana show enormous variation, particularly for abdominal scans — the most commonly ordered CT type.

CT Abdomen/Pelvis without Contrast (CPT 74176)

The same CT scan costs 123x more at Rapides Regional in Alexandria than at East Carroll Parish Hospital. Even comparing mid-range hospitals, a patient at Tulane pays 8x more than at Franklin Foundation.

CT Abdomen/Pelvis with Contrast (CPT 74177)

A contrast-enhanced CT at Rapides Regional is listed at nearly $21,000 — a price that would be difficult for most uninsured patients to pay. The same scan is listed at $226.50 at East Carroll Parish, a 92.6x spread.

MRI Prices Across Louisiana

MRI scans follow a similar pattern: extreme lows from small rural hospitals and extreme highs from regional medical centers.

MRI Brain (CPT 70551)

Two hospitals — St Francis Medical Center and Assumption Community Hospital — both list brain MRIs at $87.84, a price that closely matches a Medicare facility fee. At the high end, Rapides Regional charges 92.7x more at $8,139.

All MRI Types — Lowest vs. Highest Cash Price

Louisiana's MRI spreads are among the widest we've seen in any state. The 92.7x spread on brain MRIs dwarfs even Colorado's 11.5x spread, though much of Louisiana's extreme range is driven by hospitals that appear to be reporting Medicare-level prices rather than true self-pay rates.

Beyond Labs and Imaging: Other Procedure Spreads

The price variation extends across every category of care. Here are the cash price ranges we found for other commonly shopped procedures:

A fetal non-stress test — a routine prenatal monitoring procedure — ranges from $36 at East Carroll Parish Hospital to $5,908 at Rapides Regional. That's a 164x spread for a test that involves placing sensors on the abdomen for 20-40 minutes.

Cash vs. Negotiated: What Insurers Actually Pay

Franklin Foundation Hospital in Franklin — the Louisiana hospital with the most complete negotiated rate data (1,842 records) — provides a window into how cash prices compare with what insurance companies actually pay:

Here's the surprising finding: At Franklin Foundation, insurers actually pay more than cash patients for hip replacements (19% higher), knee replacements (19% higher), gallbladder removal (15% higher), and knee arthroscopy (8% higher). This is the opposite of what most patients assume — that insurance always gets you a better deal.

For imaging and deliveries, the pattern is more conventional: insured rates are 7-13% lower than cash prices. But the surgical procedure inversions suggest that Franklin Foundation may be pricing cash-pay surgery competitively to attract self-pay patients — a trend we're seeing at community hospitals across the country.

What This Means for Patients

1. Lab test prices are wildly inconsistent — A basic metabolic panel costs anywhere from $8 to $1,465 in Louisiana. If you're paying out of pocket, always ask for the price upfront and consider independent labs or community hospitals.
2. CT scan prices deserve the most scrutiny — With 123x variation on abdominal CT scans, the difference between hospitals can mean thousands of dollars. For non-emergency imaging, shopping across facilities is essential.
3. Cash isn't always worse than insurance — At Franklin Foundation Hospital, cash patients pay less than insured patients for major surgeries like hip and knee replacements. Always ask about both cash and insured pricing.
4. The data itself is inconsistent — Some Louisiana hospitals appear to report Medicare rates as cash prices, while others report chargemaster rates. Until hospitals standardize how they report prices, patients need to verify what the listed "cash price" actually means before making decisions.

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