Barium swallow cost in Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 22 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $172.00 to $1,844.50, with a median of $334.00. The lowest listed price is at Lower Bucks Hospital — $162.00 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $427.80 at 63 hospitals.
Cash prices at 22 facilities across 18 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 Mar 24, 2026 and Sep 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Bucks Hospital lowest Bristol, PA · (215) 785-9200 Hc Esophagram | $172.00 | $1,008.70 | $22.50–$806.96 | 83% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Esophagram | $179.00 | $870.72 | $22.50–$844.60 | 79% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Esophagram | $179.00 | $870.72 | $22.50–$844.60 | 79% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| West Jersey Hospital Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC X-Ray Abdomen Obstruction Series Complete | $190.50 | $1,905.00 | $81.95–$583.66 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Willingboro Hospital Willinboro, NJ · (609) 835-2900 HC X-Ray Abdomen Obstruction Series Complete | $190.50 | $1,905.00 | $81.95–$583.66 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Camden, NJ · (856) 886-5373 HC X-Ray Abdomen Obstruction Series Complete | $190.50 | $1,905.00 | $81.95–$583.66 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NJ · (609) 267-0700 HC X-Ray Abdomen Obstruction Series Complete | $190.50 | $1,905.00 | $81.95–$583.66 | 90% | — source file |
| West Jersey Hospital Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC X-Ray Abdomen Obstruction Series Complete | $190.50 | $1,905.00 | $81.95–$583.66 | 90% | — source file |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $326.95 | $503.00 | $42.92–$528.18 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Xr Esophagus | $334.00 | $835.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Xr Esophagus | $334.00 | $835.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Xr Esophagus | $334.00 | $835.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital Malvern, PA Hc Xr Esophagus | $334.00 | $835.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Xr Esophagus | $334.00 | $835.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $377.65 | $581.00 | $36.95–$581.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $382.85 | $589.00 | $36.95–$559.55 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $396.50 | $610.00 | $182.96–$585.60 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ ESOPHAGUS | $431.85 | $431.85 | $74.34–$407.46 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ ESOPHAGUS | $431.85 | $431.85 | $78.59–$404.54 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ ESOPHAGUS | $431.85 | $431.85 | $72.77–$407.46 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 ESOPHAGUS | $431.85 | $431.85 | $78.59–$407.46 | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 430-4000 X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST | $544.90 | $544.90 | $36.00–$306.42 | — | — source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Radiologic Examination Esophagus | $1,264.00 | $1,264.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Radiologic Examination Esophagus | $1,264.00 | $1,264.00 | — | — | — source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 590-1000 Fl Examination, Esophagus (Tbe) | $1,844.50 | $1,844.50 | $30.38–$1,660.05 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $172.00, median $334.00, highest $1,844.50 — a 10.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $380.25. 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 10 of 16 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.