Prices at 6 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $460 — 19% below the US median ($566), roughly 3.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South | Saint Louis, MO | $326 | $213 | ★ 2/5 | 254 min | — |
| Christian Hospital Northeast | Saint Louis, MO | $385 | $311 | ★ 4/5 | 217 min | — |
| Missouri Baptist Medical Center | Saint Louis, MO | $412 | $325 | ★ 5/5 | 262 min | — |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $507 | $228 | ★ 4/5 | 220 min | — |
| St Louis Childrens Hospital | Saint Louis, MO | $614 | $703 | — | — | — |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | Saint Louis, MO | $1,038 | $146 | — | — | — |
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 $460 — about 3.6× 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 $734 list price could save about $274 (37%).
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 Saint Louis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumaran Chinnappan, MD,FACS,FRCS,FASMBS | General Surgery | Saint Louis, MO | 57 |
| James Cameron, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 23 |
| Patricia Corder, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 16 |
| James Cameron, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 16 |
All Upper GI series (barium) prices in Missouri → · All Upper GI series (barium) prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis