Barium swallow cost in Cleveland, OH
In Cleveland, OH, 24 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $294.00 to $1,161.50, with a median of $792.75. The lowest listed price is at Metrohealth System — $498.75 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $433.83 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 24 facilities across 20 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 14, 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 Cleveland, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metrohealth System lowest Cleveland, OH · (216) 778-7089 Hc Xray Esophagus, Single Contrast | $294.00 | $840.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Health Allen Hospital Oberlin, OH · (440) 334-7039 HC Fluro Esophagram | $359.40 | $599.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Uhhs Memorial Hospital of Geneva Geneva, OH · (440) 415-0151 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $570.00 | $760.00 | $152.00–$720.48 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| University Hospitals Conneaut Medical Center Conneaut, OH · (440) 593-1131 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $570.00 | $760.00 | $189.36–$760.00 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Southwest General Health Center Middleburg Heights, OH · (440) 816-8000 BA SWALLOW / ESOPHAGUS | $605.25 | $807.00 | $70.96–$280.55 | 25% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| UH Cleveland Medical Center Cleveland, OH · (216) 844-1000 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $691.50 | $922.00 | $165.94–$829.80 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| UH Cleveland Medical Center Cleveland, OH · (216) 844-1000 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $691.50 | $922.00 | $165.94–$829.80 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Health Regional Medical Center Lorain, OH · (440) 960-4000 HC Fluro Esophagram | $726.60 | $1,211.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| University Hospitals Health System Willoughby, OH HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $792.75 | $1,057.00 | $165.94–$951.30 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Lake Health Beachwood Medical Center Beachwood, OH · (216) 545-4800 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $792.75 | $1,057.00 | $165.94–$951.30 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Lake Health Beachwood Medical Center Beachwood, OH · (216) 545-4800 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $792.75 | $1,057.00 | $165.94–$951.30 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| UH St John Medical Center Westlake, OH · (440) 835-8000 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $792.75 | $1,057.00 | $179.20–$951.30 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| UH Regional Hospitals Chardon, OH · (440) 285-6246 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $792.75 | $1,057.00 | $165.94–$951.30 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| University Hospitals - Elyria Medical Center Elyria, OH · (440) 329-7500 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $792.75 | $1,057.00 | $165.94–$951.30 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Parma Community General Hospital Parma, OH · (440) 743-3000 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $792.75 | $1,057.00 | $165.94–$951.30 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital Avon, OH · (440) 695-5000 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $0.87–$903.92 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Medina Hospital Medina, OH · (330) 725-1000 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $0.87–$903.92 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Hospital Cleveland, OH · (216) 696-4300 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $347.28–$1,228.00 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Marymount Hospital Garfield Heights, OH · (216) 587-8210 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $43.74–$204.28 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Hospital Cleveland, OH · (216) 476-7000 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $347.28–$1,228.00 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| South Pointe Hospital Warrensville Heights, OH · (216) 491-6523 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $0.87–$903.92 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, OH · (216) 952-9829 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $56.78–$182.54 | 35% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Lodi Community Hospital Lodi, OH · (330) 948-1222 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $347.28–$1,228.00 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Cleveland Clinic Health System - East Region Euclid, OH RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $49.52–$204.28 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Hillcrest Hospital Mayfield Heights, OH · (440) 312-4500 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $798.20 | $1,228.00 | $0.87–$903.92 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Summa Health System Akron, OH · (330) 375-3000 Hc Esophagram - Esophagus Single Contrast | $1,161.50 | $1,161.50 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $294.00, median $792.75, highest $1,161.50 — a 4.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 23 facilities here, median $792.75. 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 16 of 20 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
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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 74220 ($425.55). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Metrohealth System Cleveland, OHXray Esophagus, Single Contrast | $39.20 | file |