X-ray esophogram chest radiograph(s) & delayed images single contrast study 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

$1,021.30

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.

$2,918.00

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.

$97.56 with Wellpoint vs $2,918.00 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
Wellpoint Medicaid|All Other Plans $97.56 ↓ -90%
UHC Medicaid|CHIP $99.51 ↓ -90%
UHC Medicaid|STARKIDS $99.51 ↓ -90%
Wellpoint Medicaid|CHIP $99.90 ↓ -90%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STARKIDS $99.90 ↓ -90%
UNITED Medicaid|All Other Plans $101.90 ↓ -90%
BCBS Medicaid|All Plans $102.44 ↓ -90%
CHC Medicaid|All Other Plans $114.89 ↓ -89%
Renaissance Commercial|All Plans $128.38 ↓ -87%
Wellpoint Medicaid|STAR $133.87 ↓ -87%
UNITED Medicaid|STAR $136.86 ↓ -87%
CHC Medicaid|STAR $153.85 ↓ -85%
Humana Medicare|All Other Plans $178.31 ↓ -83%
KELSEY Medicare|All Plans $178.31 ↓ -83%
Humana Medicare|TRANSPLANT $178.31 ↓ -83%
BCBS Medicare|All Plans $178.31 ↓ -83%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|HMO $178.31 ↓ -83%
AETNA Medicare|TRANSPLANT $178.31 ↓ -83%
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING Medicare|PPO $180.09 ↓ -82%
AETNA Medicare|All Other Plans $181.88 ↓ -82%
UHC-SecureHorizons Medicare|All Plans $181.88 ↓ -82%
Amerivantage Medicare|All Plans $183.66 ↓ -82%
SELECTCARE Medicare|All Plans $187.23 ↓ -82%
SCANHealth Medicare|All Plans $190.79 ↓ -81%
DEVOTED Medicare|All Plans $190.79 ↓ -81%
KINDRED Medicare|All Plans $213.97 ↓ -79%
BCBS - TX Commercial|MyBlue Health Exchange $218.66 ↓ -79%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Transplant $224.02 ↓ -78%
Cigna Commercial|Surefit $227.54 ↓ -78%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Blue Advantage Exchange $235.06 ↓ -77%
KelseyCare Commercial|Exchange $240.72 ↓ -76%
Employer Direct Commercial|PPO $249.63 ↓ -76%
Cigna Commercial|HMO $250.60 ↓ -75%
Superior Health Plan Commercial|All Plans $267.46 ↓ -74%
Community Health Choice Commercial|Exchange $267.46 ↓ -74%
Harris Health Commercial|ERS $267.46 ↓ -74%
Wellpoint Commercial|Exchange $267.46 ↓ -74%
Community Health Choice Commercial|All Other Plans $267.46 ↓ -74%
Aetna Commercial|Exchange $274.60 ↓ -73%
Bright Health Commercial|All Plans $298.72 ↓ -71%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $307.49 ↓ -70%
UNITED Medicaid|STARPLUS $311.69 ↓ -69%
UHC Medicaid|STARPLUS $311.69 ↓ -69%
TCHP Medicaid|STARKIDS $320.98 ↓ -69%
TCHP Medicaid|All Other Plans $320.98 ↓ -69%
TCHP Medicaid|STAR $430.12 ↓ -58%
BCBS - TX Commercial|Premier $488.35 ↓ -52%
BCBS - TX Commercial|HMO $575.82 ↓ -44%
NX Health Commercial|PPO $579.51 ↓ -43%
United Commercial|Exchange $582.00 ↓ -43%
BCBS - TX Commercial|PPO Trad $637.77 ↓ -38%
United Commercial|Charter $782.00 ↓ -23%
OPTUM Medicare|All Plans $787.86 ↓ -23%
United Commercial|HMO $869.00 ↓ -15%
United Commercial|PPO $869.00 ↓ -15%
OPTUM Medicaid|STAR $1,055.74 ↑ +3%
TCHPCHIP Medicaid|HMO $1,196.38 ↑ +17%
TCH Commercial|Transplant $1,313.10 ↑ +29%
United Commercial|Optum $1,371.46 ↑ +34%
Shell Commercial|All Plans $1,459.00 ↑ +43%
TEXASTRUECHOICE Medicaid|CHIP $1,604.90 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|HMO $1,604.90 ↑ +57%
CHC Medicaid|CHIP $1,604.90 ↑ +57%
Cigna Lifesource Commercial|Transplant $1,750.80 ↑ +71%
Aetna Commercial|KelseyCare $1,779.98 ↑ +74%
Humana Commercial|Transplant $1,896.70 ↑ +86%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $1,896.70 ↑ +86%
Coventry Commercial|PPO $1,896.70 ↑ +86%
Interlink Commercial|Transplant $2,042.60 ↑ +100%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $2,042.60 ↑ +100%
Cigna Commercial|Transplant $2,042.60 ↑ +100%
Healthsmart Commercial|PPO $2,042.60 ↑ +100%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,188.50 ↑ +114%
OPTUM Medicaid|STARPLUS $2,410.86 ↑ +136%
USA Health Network Commercial|All Plans $2,480.30 ↑ +143%
MHealth Network Commercial|PPO $2,918.00 ↑ +186%

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray esophogram chest radiograph(s) & delayed images single contrast study at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $1,021.30 $97.56 – $2,918.00
HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL HOUSTON $3,989.02 $97.56 – $429.97
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston not published $99.90 – $429.97
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $95.61 – $429.97
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $501.34 $97.56 – $626.68
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BRENHAM Brenham $501.34 $103.19 – $752.01
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - BUDA Suite 110 $501.34 $97.56 – $626.68
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER - CENTENNIAL Frisco $501.34 $97.56 – $626.68

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →