Upper GI series cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 8 hospitals list a cash price for Upper GI series (X-ray of esophagus, stomach and duodenum with contrast): from $260.78 to $967.00, with a median of $428.50. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $167.72 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $570.00 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 5 cities for code 74240, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA HC Xray Upper GI Tract | $260.78 | $579.50 | $129.08–$627.69 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA HC Upper GI W/O Kub | $288.00 | $288.00 | $118.91–$1,396.69 | — | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA HC Xray Upper GI Tract | $290.75 | $646.11 | $129.08–$659.83 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA HC Xray Upper GI Tract | $416.70 | $926.00 | $83.41–$787.10 | 55% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA HC Xr Upper GI W Delayed W/O Kub | $440.30 | $629.00 | $220.15–$700.04 | 30% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA HC Xr Upper GI W Delayed W/O Kub | $480.90 | $687.00 | $140.86–$743.77 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA HC Xr Upper GI W Delayed W/O Kub | $609.70 | $871.00 | $228.72–$942.68 | 30% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA X-RAY XM UPR GI TRC 1CNTRST | $967.00 | $967.00 | $111.09–$817.41 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $260.78, median $428.50, highest $967.00 — a 3.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $416.70. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 7 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
An upper GI series is an X-ray of the esophagus, stomach and first part of the small intestine after drinking barium.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the study and the barium. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.