Barium swallow cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast) as an inpatient: from $97.74 to $168.72, with a median of $125.40. The lowest listed price is at St Charles Parish Hospital — $27.66 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $215.60 at 49 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 cities for code 74220, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Charles Parish Hospital lowest Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC XRAY, ESOPH, W/ SCOUT CHEST RADIOGRAPH/IMG, W/SNGL CONTRAST | $97.74 | $362.00 | — | 73% | — source file |
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC XRAY, ESOPH, W/ SCOUT CHEST RADIOGRAPH/IMG, W/SNGL CONTRAST | $121.52 | $434.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC XRAY, ESOPH, W/ SCOUT CHEST RADIOGRAPH/IMG, W/SNGL CONTRAST | $125.40 | $570.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC XRAY, ESOPH, W/ SCOUT CHEST RADIOGRAPH/IMG, W/SNGL CONTRAST | $134.08 | $419.00 | — | 68% | — source file |
| The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC XRAY, ESOPH, W/ SCOUT CHEST RADIOGRAPH/IMG, W/SNGL CONTRAST | $168.72 | $456.00 | — | 63% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $97.74, median $125.40, highest $168.72 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $163.36 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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.