Barium swallow cost in Fort Wayne, IN
In Fort Wayne, IN, 7 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $259.50 to $483.50, with a median of $460.50. The lowest listed price is at Lutheran Hospital of Indiana — $201.00 less than the median here. Across Indiana, the median is $484.15 at 56 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 3 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 Apr 1, 2026 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 Fort Wayne, IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana lowest Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 RF Esophagus Gastrografin | $259.50 | $865.00 | $82.25–$778.50 | 70% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana lowest Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 RF Esophagus Barium | $259.50 | $865.00 | $82.25–$778.50 | 70% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 RF Esophagus Barium | $380.43 | $1,409.00 | $82.25–$1,268.10 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 RF Esophagus Gastrografin | $380.43 | $1,409.00 | $82.25–$1,268.10 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 RF Esophagus Gastrografin | $416.40 | $1,735.00 | $163.90–$1,561.50 | 76% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 RF Esophagus Barium | $416.40 | $1,735.00 | $163.90–$1,561.50 | 76% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Parkview Whitley Hospital Columbia City, IN · (260) 248-9301 HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONT INC SCOUT FILMS STUDY | $460.50 | $921.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN RF Esophagus Barium | $470.34 | $1,742.00 | $95.07–$1,742.00 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN RF Esophagus Gastrografin | $470.34 | $1,742.00 | $95.07–$1,742.00 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Parkview Regional Medical Center Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 266-1195 HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONT INC SCOUT FILMS STUDY | $483.50 | $967.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Parkview Ortho Hospital Fort Wayne, IN HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONT INC SCOUT FILMS STUDY | $483.50 | $967.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $259.50, median $460.50, highest $483.50 — a 1.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $483.50. 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 4 of 4 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.