Upper GI series (barium) cost in Houston, TX

Prices at 10 hospitals in Houston, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,932 — 240% above the US median ($568), roughly 15.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital Houston, TX $619 $242 14.4%
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Houston, TX $914 ★ 4/5 252 min 14.6%
Memorial Hermann Hospital System Houston, TX $914 ★ 3/5 229 min 14.8%
St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage Houston, TX $977 $303 ★ 4/5 214 min 15.0%
St Joseph Medical Center Houston, TX $1,828 $225 ★ 3/5 189 min 15.2%
Texas Orthopedic Hospital Houston, TX $2,036 $361 106 min 14.1%
HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest Houston, TX $3,208 $367 ★ 2/5 140 min 15.6%
HCA Houston Healthcare West Houston, TX $3,208 $367 ★ 1/5 112 min 15.6%
Healthbridge Childrens's Hospital of Houston Houston, TX $3,208 $367
HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center Houston, TX $4,193 $376 ★ 4/5 80 min 14.9%

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 August 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,856
Cash / self-pay
$1,932
Insurer-negotiated
$364
Medicare pays
$128
$884$3,307
Median cash $1,932  ·  Medicare $128  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,932 — about 15.1× the Medicare rate ($128). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($257).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,856 list price could save about $924 (32%).

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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.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
Latricia Gillis, M.D.Family PracticeHouston, TX733
Thomas Falvey, M.D.Internal MedicineHouston, TX476
Nathan Baumer, M.D.Family PracticeHouston, TX457
Gregory Smith, MDPlastic and Reconstructive SurgeryHouston, TX200
Felix Spiegel, M.D.General SurgeryHouston, TX70
Alice Rock, MDPediatric MedicineHouston, TX35
John Primomo, M.D.General SurgeryHouston, TX17

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All Upper GI series (barium) prices in Texas → · All Upper GI series (barium) prices (national) · All hospitals in Houston