Prices at 9 hospitals in Houston, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,373 — 211% above the US median ($442), roughly 12.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital | Houston, TX | $420 | $241 | — | — | — |
| Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center | Houston, TX | $525 | — | ★ 4/5 | 252 min | — |
| Memorial Hermann Hospital System | Houston, TX | $525 | — | ★ 3/5 | 243 min | — |
| St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage | Houston, TX | $1,050 | $303 | ★ 4/5 | 209 min | — |
| St Joseph Medical Center | Houston, TX | $1,373 | $208 | ★ 3/5 | 180 min | — |
| Texas Orthopedic Hospital | Houston, TX | $1,415 | $332 | — | 105 min | — |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest | Houston, TX | $2,166 | $339 | ★ 2/5 | 147 min | — |
| HCA Houston Healthcare West | Houston, TX | $2,166 | $339 | ★ 1/5 | 104 min | — |
| Healthbridge Childrens's Hospital of Houston | Houston, TX | $2,166 | $339 | — | — | — |
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 September 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 $1,373 — about 12.8× the Medicare rate ($107). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($214).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,639 list price could save about $266 (16%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latricia Gillis, M.D. | Family Practice | Houston, TX | 760 |
| Thomas Falvey, M.D. | Internal Medicine | Houston, TX | 490 |
| Nathan Baumer, M.D. | Family Practice | Houston, TX | 460 |
| Gregory Smith, MD | Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery | Houston, TX | 214 |
| Justin Tholany, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 139 |
| Robert Malone, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 127 |
| Yu Hung, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 109 |
| Nakul Gupta | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 108 |
| Eric Longo, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 90 |
| Nir Stanietzky, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 89 |
| Thuan Vu, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 65 |
| Andrew Mark, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 58 |
All Barium swallow study prices in Texas → · All Barium swallow study prices (national) · All hospitals in Houston