A common upper GI endoscopy at surgery center facility in U.S. includes
| |
Units |
Avg Cash price |
Provider |
Gastroenterologist visit provider fee
First time visit
Standard
|
1 |
$130 |
Provider fee to scope exam of esophagus, stomach, and/or upper small intestine with 1+ biopsies
Standard
Standard
|
1 |
$180 |
Facility |
Surgery center fee to scope exam of esophagus, stomach, and/or upper small intestine with 1+ biopsies
Standard
Standard
|
1 |
$497 |
Anesthesia |
Anesthesiologist fee to be "put under" for procedure
Level 3
Standard
|
1 |
$202 |
Anesthesiologist time to be "put under" for procedure
Per minute
Standard
|
50 |
$100 |
Total average cash price |
|
A common upper GI endoscopy at outpatient hospital facility in U.S. includes
| |
Units |
Avg Cash price |
Provider |
Gastroenterologist visit provider fee
First time visit
Standard
|
1 |
$130 |
Provider fee to scope exam of esophagus, stomach, and/or upper small intestine with 1+ biopsies
Standard
Standard
|
1 |
$180 |
Facility |
Outpatient Hospital fee for ultrasound exam (for diagnosis) and biopsies of esophagus, stomach, and/or upper small intestine
level 1
Standard
|
1 |
$983 |
Anesthesia |
Anesthesiologist fee to be "put under" for procedure
Level 3
Standard
|
1 |
$202 |
Anesthesiologist time to be "put under" for procedure
Per minute
Standard
|
50 |
$100 |
Total average cash price |
|
An upper digestive tract endoscopy (also called an upper GI endoscopy) is a procedure used to visualize the lining of your esophagus, stomach, and the beginning of the intestines. This requires placing a flexible tube with a camera at the tip through the mouth and down the throat.
Since passing a long tube down the throat is uncomfortable and would lead to gagging, an anesthesiologist will give you medications that make you feel calm and reduce your gag reflex. This is known as a “conscious sedation,” as you never truly lose consciousness as you would with a major surgery. You can still breathe on your own, so no breathing tube or ventilation is required, and you recover much faster than you would from the anesthesia given during surgery.
During the endoscopy, the doctor will look at the inner lining of your throat, stomach, and intestine. They are searching for any abnormalities that may explain the symptoms that lead them to perform the endoscopy. They may also take small samples of tissue from the organs; these samples are known as biopsies.
Endoscopy is generally performed if you have symptoms that are related to swallowing or digestion. Acid reflux, difficulty swallowing, pain in the throat, blood in the vomit, repeated episodes of vomiting, and unexpected weight loss are some of the most common reasons that doctors order an upper digestive tract endoscopy.
Biopsies are small tissue samples from the throat, stomach, or intestines that doctors examine under a microscope. These samples are taken if doctors see an abnormal area in your digestive tract or as a routine part of an endoscopy, even if no abnormalities are seen.
Doctors will almost always take biopsies during an endoscopy, even if your digestive tract appears normal. These biopsies are extremely useful in ruling out dangerous conditions such as cancer and are very low risk.
Biopsies are used to diagnose infections, cancer, and many diseases that make swallowing difficult. The areas of tissue that are removed for a biopsy are very small and heal quickly without any special treatment.
Some common conditions are diagnosed with endoscopy. If your doctor suspects that you have one of these conditions and you do not respond to treatment, they may order an endoscopy:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (Acid reflux)
- H. Pylori (an infection that leads to stomach pain)
- Gastric ulcer (a hole in the stomach wall that leads to pain and blood loss)
- Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
- Gastric obstruction (a blockage of your stomach that leads to vomiting)
An upper digestive tract endoscopy is a quick procedure. The entire procedure takes about 30 minutes, and recovery from the medications used to keep you comfortable can take up to an hour. Almost every patient that undergoes an endoscopy can go home the same day the procedure is performed.
Immediately after an endoscopy, you will feel tired and may feel dizzy and/or nauseous as you recover from the sedative medications. Your throat may also be sore from the endoscope passing through; this will usually resolve in several hours.
An endoscopy is a very safe procedure. However, in rare cases, you may develop an infection after an endoscopy. Symptoms such as a fever, chills, sweating, and increasing pain an hour to a week after an endoscopy are rare but should always be reported to your doctor.
The time that it takes to get the results of your endoscopy will depend on why it was ordered. If your doctor is looking for something that can be diagnosed by sight alone, such as stomach ulcers or obstruction of the stomach, the results will be available almost instantly. Conditions that require a biopsy, such as infection of the stomach or suspected cancer, will require several days for the biopsies to be processed and examined under a microscope.
About the upper GI endoscopy Average Cash Prices
This procedure is most commonly performed at either a surgery center or an outpatient hospital.
Surgery centers, also known as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), are independent, licensed medical
facilities that are governed by distinct regulatory requirements compared with a hospital. Procedures
performed at an ASCs are often less expensive than when they are performed at an outpatient hospital,
but they typically offer fewer complimentary services, and may not have the full-range of support
services that a hospital provides.
Outpatient facilities are outpatient departments or clinics that may be within or next to a hospital,
but is owned and run by the affiliated hospital. These facilities can perform surgical treatments and
procedures that do not require an overnight stay. Procedures performed at an outpatient hospital are
often more expensive than when they are performed in an ambulatory surgery center, but outpatient
hospitals may offer more complimentary and support services for patients because they are connected to
the hospital system.
