Endoscopy swallow (fees) vid at Baylor St Luke's Medical Center

1101 Bates Avenue, Houston, TX · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1184622847

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$384.30

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.

$1,098.00

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.

$82.51 with BCBS - TX vs $1,098.00 with MHealth 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
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $82.51 ↓ -79%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $83.90 ↓ -78%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $100.00 ↓ -74%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $100.00 ↓ -74%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $100.00 ↓ -74%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $141.24 ↓ -63%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $150.33 ↓ -61%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Transplant $166.47 ↓ -57%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $216.75 ↓ -44%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $296.46 ↓ -23%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $397.26 ↑ +3%
United Commercial|Exchange $415.00 ↑ +8%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $450.18 ↑ +17%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $494.10 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Optum $516.06 ↑ +34%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $549.00 ↑ +43%
United Commercial|Charter $560.00 ↑ +46%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $603.90 ↑ +57%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $603.90 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $603.90 ↑ +57%
United Commercial|HMO $620.00 ↑ +61%
United Commercial|PPO $620.00 ↑ +61%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $658.80 ↑ +71%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $713.70 ↑ +86%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $713.70 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $713.70 ↑ +86%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $768.60 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $768.60 ↑ +100%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $768.60 ↑ +100%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $768.60 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $823.50 ↑ +114%
Aetna Commercial|Transplant $834.48 ↑ +117%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $907.17 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $933.30 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $1,098.00 ↑ +186%

Visitor-reported prices

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Endoscopy swallow (fees) vid at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $384.30 $100.00 – $1,098.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON $1,945.22 $163.61 – $429.14
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $163.61 – $429.14
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $163.61 – $429.14
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $576.16 $112.00 – $816.23
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $576.16 $112.00 – $864.24
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $504.10 $100.82 – $630.12
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $576.16 $112.00 – $816.23

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →