Upper GI series cost in New Orleans, LA
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for upper GI series (X-ray of esophagus, stomach and duodenum with contrast): from $164.96 to $313.04, with a median of $243.56. The lowest listed price is at West Jefferson Medical Center — $78.60 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $243.56 at 12 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 3 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 Jun 24, 2026 and Jul 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Jefferson Medical Center lowest Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $164.96 | $1,031.00 | $100.00–$927.90 | 84% | Jun 30, 2026 source file |
| New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 592-6600 X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $215.20 | $1,345.00 | $157.61–$807.00 | 84% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
| University Med Center New Orleans, LA · (504) 702-3000 X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $220.44 | $1,002.00 | $1,002.00–$567.13 | 78% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Touro Infirmary New Orleans, LA · (504) 897-8247 X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $243.04 | $1,736.00 | $1,232.56–$883.62 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 899-9511 X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $244.08 | $904.00 | $160.22–$904.00 | 73% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LA X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $313.04 | $2,236.00 | $1,095.64–$670.80 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LA X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $313.04 | $2,236.00 | $1,095.64–$670.80 | 86% | Jun 25, 2026 source file |
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LA · (504) 988-5263 X-Ray of Upper Digestive Tract | $313.04 | $2,236.00 | $1,095.64–$670.80 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $164.96, median $243.56, highest $313.04 — a 1.9× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 8 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 5 it is 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.