Upper GI series cost in Brownsville, TX
In Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for upper GI series (X-ray of esophagus, stomach and duodenum with contrast): from $175.00 to $4,622.19, with a median of $2,398.60. The lowest listed price is at Harlingen Medical Center — $2,223.60 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $736.56 at 226 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 74240, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 XR UPPER GI TRACT,W/O KUB - 74240 - 416701066 | $175.00 | $605.22 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 71% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 D-19 XR UPPER GI W/SMALL BOWEL - 74240 - 416701435 | $175.00 | $798.75 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 78% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 XR UPPER GI TRACT,W/O KUB - 74240 - 407001066 | $175.00 | $1,451.01 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 88% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 D-19 XR UGI W/SBFT - 74240 - 416701163 | $175.00 | $1,619.00 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 89% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 D-19 XR HD UGI W/SML BOWEL SER | $175.00 | $1,619.00 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 89% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 D-19 XR HD UGI W/SML BOWEL | $175.00 | $1,619.00 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 89% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 D-19 XR UGI W/SBFT - 74240 - 407001163 | $175.00 | $1,619.00 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 89% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 D-19 XR UPPER GI W/SMALL BOWEL - 74240 - 407001435 | $175.00 | $1,807.37 | $122.96–$1,445.90 | 90% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Regional Medical Center Brownsville, TX · (956) 350-7000 XR UGI SNGL CONTRAST | $4,622.19 | $4,622.19 | $323.55–$3,928.86 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Regional Medical Center Brownsville, TX · (956) 350-7000 Radiologic examination, upper gastrointestinal tract, including scout abdominal radiograph(s) and delayed image(s), when performed; single-contrast (eg, barium) study | $4,622.19 | $4,622.19 | $127.46–$401.74 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $175.00, median $2,398.60, highest $4,622.19 — a 26.4× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 2 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.