Barium swallow cost in Detroit, MI
In Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, 26 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $90.16 to $962.25, with a median of $241.18. The lowest listed price is at Henry Ford Health — $151.02 less than the median here. Across Michigan, the median is $265.70 at 60 hospitals.
Cash prices at 26 facilities across 20 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 Dec 31, 2025 and Sep 2, 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Ford Health lowest East China Township, MI · (810) 329-7111 ESOPHAGUS | $90.16 | $161.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health lowest East China Township, MI · (810) 329-7111 ESOPHAGUS | $90.16 | $161.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| McLaren Lapeer Region Lapeer, MI · (810) 667-5500 XR Esophagus - Report | $100.00 | $199.90 | $18.11–$45.27 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Oakland Pontiac, MI · (248) 338-5000 XR Esophagus - Report | $100.00 | $199.90 | $18.11–$45.27 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Port Huron Port Huron, MI · (810) 987-5000 XR Esophagus - Report | $100.00 | $199.90 | $18.11–$45.27 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Macomb Mount Clemens, MI · (586) 493-8000 XR Esophagus - Report | $100.00 | $199.90 | $18.11–$45.27 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Henry Ford Health Detroit, MI · (313) 343-4000 ESOPHAGUS | $151.76 | $271.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Detroit, MI · (313) 343-4000 ESOPHAGUS | $151.76 | $271.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Warren, MI · (586) 573-5000 ESOPHAGUS | $192.64 | $344.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Madison Heights, MI ESOPHAGUS | $192.64 | $344.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Madison Heights, MI ESOPHAGUS | $192.64 | $344.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Warren, MI · (586) 573-5000 ESOPHAGUS | $192.64 | $344.00 | $52.96–$122.55 | 44% | — source file |
| McLaren Port Huron Port Huron, MI · (810) 987-5000 CONTRAST X-RAY ESOPHAGUS | $202.41 | $404.81 | $97.38–$277.79 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Port Huron Port Huron, MI · (810) 987-5000 XR Esophagus | $205.65 | $411.30 | $97.38–$308.48 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Karmanos Cancer Center Detroit, MI · (800) 576-6266 ESOPHAGRAM | $211.10 | $422.20 | $97.38–$316.65 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Oakland Pontiac, MI · (248) 338-5000 XR Esophagus | $217.70 | $435.40 | $97.38–$391.53 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Henry Ford Health Rochester, MI · (248) 652-5000 ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW | $224.66 | $478.00 | $57.46–$120.19 | 53% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Rochester, MI · (248) 652-5000 DX ESOPHAGRAM/BARIUM SWALLOW | $224.66 | $478.00 | $57.46–$120.19 | 53% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 916-2600 HB X-RAY ESOPHAGUS INCL SCOUT NECK DELAYED IMG W/CONTRAST | $241.18 | $478.00 | $59.78–$401.97 | 50% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital Wyandotte, MI HB X-RAY ESOPHAGUS INCL SCOUT NECK DELAYED IMG W/CONTRAST | $241.18 | $478.00 | $43.77–$321.58 | 50% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Health West Bloomfield Hospital West Bloomfield, MI · (248) 325-1000 HB X-RAY ESOPHAGUS INCL SCOUT NECK DELAYED IMG W/CONTRAST | $241.18 | $478.00 | $43.77–$321.58 | 50% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Macomb Hospital Clinton Twp, MI · (586) 263-2300 HB X-RAY ESOPHAGUS INCL SCOUT NECK DELAYED IMG W/CONTRAST | $241.18 | $478.00 | $43.77–$321.58 | 50% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Health Southfield, MI · (248) 849-3000 ESOPHAGUS | $269.92 | $482.00 | $52.96–$200.32 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Novi, MI ESOPHAGUS | $269.92 | $482.00 | $52.96–$200.32 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Novi, MI ESOPHAGUS | $269.92 | $482.00 | $52.96–$200.32 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Southfield, MI · (248) 849-3000 ESOPHAGUS | $269.92 | $482.00 | $52.96–$200.32 | 44% | — source file |
| McLaren Macomb Mount Clemens, MI · (586) 493-8000 XR Esophagus | $272.60 | $545.20 | $97.38–$444.75 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Lapeer Region Lapeer, MI · (810) 667-5500 XR Esophagus | $396.65 | $793.30 | $97.38–$555.31 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Harper University Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 745-6211 X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $602.25 | $803.00 | $1.00–$178.55 | 25% | Aug 20, 2026 source file |
| Harper University Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 745-6211 X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $602.25 | $803.00 | $1.00–$178.55 | 25% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| VHS Detroit Receiving Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 745-2941 X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $618.00 | $824.00 | — | 25% | Apr 7, 2026 source file |
| William Beaumont Hospital Troy, MI · (248) 964-8800 Hc Xray Esophagus | $629.00 | $629.00 | — | — | — source file |
| William Beaumont Hospital Grosse Pointe, MI · (313) 473-1000 Hc Xray Esophagus | $629.00 | $629.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Corewell Health Wayne Hospital Wayne, MI · (734) 467-4175 Hc Xray Esophagus | $629.00 | $629.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Corewell Health Trenton Hospital Trenton, MI · (734) 671-3800 Hc Xray Esophagus | $629.00 | $629.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Beaumont Hospital - Taylor Taylor, MI · (313) 295-5000 Hc Xray Esophagus | $629.00 | $629.00 | — | — | — source file |
| VHS Childrens Hospital of Michigan Detroit, MI · (313) 745-5437 X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $792.00 | $1,056.00 | — | 25% | Apr 6, 2026 source file |
| VHS Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Commerce Charter Twp, MI · (248) 937-3370 X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $808.50 | $1,078.00 | $1.00–$178.55 | 25% | May 20, 2026 source file |
| VHS Sinai Grace Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 966-3300 X-RAY ESOPHAGUS SNGL CM STDY | $962.25 | $1,283.00 | — | 25% | Apr 8, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $90.16, median $241.18, highest $962.25 — a 10.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $610.13. 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 6 of 18 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.