Barium Swallow (Esophagus X-ray) at HCA HOUSTON TOMBALL

5003 CYPRESS CREEK PKWY, HOUSTON, TX · HCA Houston Healthcare · · NPI 1750819025

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Sep 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 24, 2026

$3,989.02

Cash price

?

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.

$3,989.02

Gross charge

?

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 Amerigroup vs $3,390.67 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Amerigroup MCDCHIPBH $97.56 ↓ -98%
Amerigroup MGMCD $97.56 ↓ -98%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR+PLUS $99.90 ↓ -97%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIP $99.90 ↓ -97%
Community Health Choice MCD CHIPPerinatal $99.90 ↓ -97%
Community Health Choice MCD STAR $99.90 ↓ -97%
United MGMCD $101.90 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare CHIP $107.32 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STAR $107.32 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STARPLUS $107.32 ↓ -97%
Molina Healthcare STARKIDS $107.32 ↓ -97%
Aetna Better Health MGMCD $107.89 ↓ -97%
Humana MCD $121.95 ↓ -97%
Texas Childrens Health Plans STARKIDS $146.34 ↓ -96%
Texas Childrens Health Plans STAR $146.34 ↓ -96%
Texas Childrens Health Plans CHIP $146.34 ↓ -96%
Superior Health Plan CHPFC $239.34 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARPLUS $239.34 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STARKids $239.34 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan STAR $239.34 ↓ -94%
Superior Health Plan CHIP $239.34 ↓ -94%
Cigna CSN $258.28 ↓ -94%
Cigna OpenAccessPlus $279.52 ↓ -93%
BCBS MyBlueHealth $320.71 ↓ -92%
Cigna PPO $332.27 ↓ -92%
United NarrowNetworkIndivExchange $339.25 ↓ -91%
United AllPayerAppendix $401.74 ↓ -90%
United SmallGroup $401.74 ↓ -90%
BCBS BAV $406.35 ↓ -90%
Aetna NBPOS $597.58 ↓ -85%
Aetna NBHMO $597.58 ↓ -85%
Aetna NBPPO $597.58 ↓ -85%
BCBS HMO $619.55 ↓ -84%
Aetna COMMHMO $635.84 ↓ -84%
Aetna COMMPOS $635.84 ↓ -84%
Aetna COMMPPO $635.84 ↓ -84%
United OptionsPPO $670.16 ↓ -83%
BCBS EPOSOA $686.97 ↓ -83%
Aetna OONHMO $747.59 ↓ -81%
Aetna OONPOS $747.59 ↓ -81%
Aetna OONPPO $747.59 ↓ -81%
BCBS PPO $754.39 ↓ -81%
Aetna ASAPOS $808.32 ↓ -80%
Aetna ASAHMO $808.32 ↓ -80%
Aetna ASAPPO $808.32 ↓ -80%
Healthcare Highways NarrowNetwork $1,017.20 ↓ -75%
Evry Health BroadNetwork $1,089.00 ↓ -73%
Humana PPO $1,321.56 ↓ -67%
Humana HMO $1,321.56 ↓ -67%
BCBS Traditional $1,396.16 ↓ -65%
Coventry National First Health COMM $1,412.11 ↓ -65%
Curative Administrators COMM $1,595.61 ↓ -60%
Christus (USFHP) TRICARE $1,595.61 ↓ -60%
United GlobalAppendix $1,795.06 ↓ -55%
Multiplan PHCSPrimaryNetwork $2,991.76 ↓ -25%
Multiplan ComplementaryNetwork $3,390.67 ↓ -15%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Barium Swallow (Esophagus X-ray) at other Texas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Baylor St Luke's Medical Center Houston $1,021.30 $97.56 – $2,918.00
St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital Houston $1,021.30 $97.56 – $2,918.00
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston $1,249.00 $176.20 – $343.59
Houston Methodist Hospital Houston $722.00 $176.20 – $704.80
Houston Methodist West Hospital Houston $1,249.00 $176.20 – $704.80
HCA HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER Houston $4,121.72 $97.56 – $597.58
HCA HOUSTON WEST HOUSTON not published $95.61 – $597.58
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Dallas $501.34 $97.56 – $626.68

All Texas hospitals for this procedure →