Barium swallow cost in Baltimore, MD
In Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 3 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $261.33 to $737.00, with a median of $442.04. The lowest listed price is at Greater Baltimore Medical Center — $180.71 less than the median here. Across Maryland, the median is $491.85 at 6 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Baltimore Medical Center lowest Towson, MD · (443) 849-2000 HC Esophogus-Foreign Body | $261.33 | $266.66 | $261.33–$266.66 | 2% | — source file |
| Greater Baltimore Medical Center lowest Towson, MD · (443) 849-2000 HC Esophagus, Ltd Study | $261.33 | $266.66 | $261.33–$266.66 | 2% | — source file |
| Mercy Medical Center Baltimore, MD · (410) 332-9237 HC ESOPHAGRAM - SINGLE CONTRAST | $442.04 | $451.06 | $451.06–$442.04 | 2% | — source file |
| Mercy Medical Center Baltimore, MD · (410) 332-9237 HC ESOPHAGRAM - DOUBLE CONTRAST | $442.04 | $451.06 | $451.06–$442.04 | 2% | — source file |
| Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital Baltimore, MD · (410) 578-5050 ESOPHAGRAM FLUOROSCOPY | $737.00 | $752.04 | $737.00–$752.04 | 2% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $261.33, median $442.04, highest $737.00 — a 2.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $442.04. 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 2 of 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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
A barium swallow is a live X-ray of the esophagus while you drink barium. It shows narrowing, hernias and problems with how food passes.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the study and the barium. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.