Barium swallow cost in Charlotte, NC — inpatient
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast) as an inpatient: from $175.50 to $1,467.50, with a median of $425.03. The lowest listed price is at DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL — $249.53 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $425.03 at 36 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 74220, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL lowest Mooresville, NC Xr Esophagus Incl Scdi W Cntrst Study | $175.50 | $650.00 | $189.15–$224.25 | 73% | — source file |
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL lowest Mooresville, NC Xr Esophagus Incl Scdi W Cntrst Study | $175.50 | $650.00 | $189.15–$224.25 | 73% | — source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC HB XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $209.00 | $418.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$765.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $284.77–$782.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $263.52–$748.04 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $284.77–$782.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$782.05 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Hospitals Inc Wadesboro, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$807.55 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Concord, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$807.55 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Hospitals Inc Lincolnton, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $243.71–$807.55 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Charlotte, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$782.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Monroe, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$807.55 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Charlotte, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$782.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC DX ESOPHAGRAM | $425.03 | $850.05 | $257.57–$765.05 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC HCHG XR ESOPHAGUS/BARIUM SWALLOW SGL CONT | $830.00 | $830.00 | $622.50–$788.50 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG XR ESOPHAGUS/BARIUM SWALLOW SGL CONT | $830.00 | $830.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG XR ESOPHAGUS/BARIUM SWALLOW SGL CONT | $830.00 | $830.00 | $622.50–$788.50 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina, Inc. Rock Hill, SC X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $942.00 | $1,256.00 | $1.00–$954.56 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina, Inc. Fort Mill, SC X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $942.00 | $1,256.00 | $1.00–$954.56 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC HB XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $1,467.50 | $2,935.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $175.50, median $425.03, highest $1,467.50 — a 8.4× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $425.03 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 13 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.