Barium swallow cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 14 hospitals list a cash price for Barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $156.88 to $505.00, with a median of $505.00. The lowest listed price is at Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Inc. and 2 other hospitals — $348.12 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $399.78 at 63 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Inc. lowest Milwaukee, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $156.88 | $296.00 | $79.04–$294.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital, Inc. lowest Milwaukee, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $156.88 | $296.00 | $79.04–$294.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Inc. lowest Milwaukee, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $156.88 | $296.00 | $79.04–$294.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital, Inc. lowest Milwaukee, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $156.88 | $296.00 | $79.04–$294.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Inc. lowest Franklin, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $156.88 | $296.00 | $79.04–$294.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Inc. lowest Franklin, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $156.88 | $296.00 | $79.04–$294.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Inc. Milwaukee, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $256.52 | $484.00 | $47.33–$401.74 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee, Inc. Mequon, WI HC X-RAY EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $256.52 | $484.00 | $47.33–$401.74 | 47% | — source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI HBC ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $463.65 | $843.00 | $590.10–$800.85 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI HBC ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $463.65 | $843.00 | $590.10–$800.85 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Inc Milwaukee, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Inc Milwaukee, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Inc Cudahy, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI XR ESOPHAGRAM | $505.00 | $1,010.00 | $200.00–$858.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $156.88, median $505.00, highest $505.00 — a 3.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $505.00. 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 14 of 14 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.