Barium swallow cost in Columbus, OH
In Columbus, OH, 15 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $285.35 to $558.00, with a median of $353.60. The lowest listed price is at Mount Carmel St Ann's and 4 other hospitals — $68.25 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $433.83 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 9 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 22, 2025 and Apr 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 Columbus, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel St Ann's lowest Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $285.35 | $439.00 | $148.68–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East lowest Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $285.35 | $439.00 | $145.88–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin lowest Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $285.35 | $439.00 | $148.68–$572.95 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital lowest New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $285.35 | $439.00 | $148.68–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City lowest Grove City, OH HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $285.35 | $439.00 | $145.88–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $291.36 | — | $145.88–$740.90 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $346.45 | $533.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $353.60 | $544.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $353.60 | $544.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $353.60 | $544.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $353.60 | $544.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $353.60 | $544.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $353.60 | $544.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Morrow County Hospital Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 Single contrast X-ray of esophagus | $368.29 | $566.60 | $69.78–$549.60 | 35% | Oct 22, 2025 source file |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Xr Esophagus Single Contrast Study | $438.75 | $675.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 ESOPHAGRAM, INC SCOUT CXR & DEL IMGS, SGL CONTRAST | $558.00 | $620.00 | $403.00–$607.60 | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $285.35, median $353.60, highest $558.00 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $353.60. 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 7 of 7 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.