Upper GI Barium X-ray (barium only) at University Hospitals St. John Medical Center

29000 Center Ridge Road, Westlake OH, OH · University Hospitals · · NPI 1841264868

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 14, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$709.50

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$946.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$179.20 with WellCare by AllWell vs $851.40 with Fortified Provider Network — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
WellCare by AllWell Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Anthem Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Cigna Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Devoted Health Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Humana Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Molina Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Primetime Health Plan Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
SummaCare Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
The Health Plan Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $179.20 ↓ -75%
Paramount Medicare Advantage $184.58 ↓ -74%
Valor Health Plans Medicare Advantage $188.16 ↓ -73%
Perennial Advantage of Ohio Medicare Advantage $188.16 ↓ -73%
Medical Mutual of Ohio Northern Ohio Commercial $231.77 ↓ -67%
Aetna Commercial $232.11 ↓ -67%
Medical Mutual of Ohio MedFlex Commercial $287.58 ↓ -59%
Medical Mutual of Ohio SuperMed Commercial $319.75 ↓ -55%
CareSource Marketplace $322.56 ↓ -55%
Ambetter Commercial $322.56 ↓ -55%
Medical Mutual of Ohio NAS Commercial $351.91 ↓ -50%
University Health Employee Plan (Contigo) Commercial $356.07 ↓ -50%
United Healthcare Nexus Commercial $429.48 ↓ -39%
Buckeye Plain Ministries Fund $435.16 ↓ -39%
Amish Church Fund and Workers Aid Plan Fund $435.16 ↓ -39%
Amish Aid Community Plan Fund $435.16 ↓ -39%
JP Farley Commercial $444.62 ↓ -37%
Anthem Commercial $444.62 ↓ -37%
Sunrise Plan Communities Fund $473.00 ↓ -33%
Immergrun Commercial $473.00 ↓ -33%
Christian Healthcare Ministries Fund $473.00 ↓ -33%
United Healthcare Commercial $476.78 ↓ -33%
Anthem Traditional Commercial $477.73 ↓ -33%
SummaCare Commercial $482.46 ↓ -32%
AultCare Commercial $520.30 ↓ -27%
Cigna PPO Commercial $525.03 ↓ -26%
Ohio Health Choice Preferred Health Choice Plus Commercial $614.90 ↓ -13%
HealthSmart Commercial $614.90 ↓ -13%
The Health Plan Commercial $624.36 ↓ -12%
Medical Mutual Traditional/Health Ohio Commercial $662.20 ↓ -7%
Beech Street Commercial $756.80 ↑ +7%
Ohio Preferred Network Commercial $756.80 ↑ +7%
Cigna OAP Commercial $764.78 ↑ +8%
First Health Commercial $785.18 ↑ +11%
Century Health Network Commercial $804.10 ↑ +13%
Private Healthcare System Commercial $813.56 ↑ +15%
MultiPlan Commercial $851.40 ↑ +20%
Ohio Health Choice Commercial $851.40 ↑ +20%
Fortified Provider Network Commercial $851.40 ↑ +20%
Buckeye Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Molina Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Humana Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Aetna (Ohio Rise) Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
CareSource Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper GI Barium X-ray (barium only) at other Ohio hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Jewish Hospital Cincinnati $858.00 not published
Anderson Hospital Cincinnati $858.00 not published
Clermont Hospital Batavia $858.00 not published
Kings Mills Hospital Mason $858.00 not published
Mercy West Hospital Cincinnati $858.00 not published
St Ritas Medical Center Lima $772.80 not published
Trinity Medical Center East Steubenville $499.90 $604.80 – $776.16
cleveland clinic main campus Cleveland $1,006.20 $1.10 – $1,105.20

All Ohio hospitals for this procedure →