Barium swallow cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 24 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $194.40 to $1,312.80, with a median of $729.36. The lowest listed price is at Armstrong County Memorial Hospital — $534.96 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $460.00 at 103 hospitals.
- The median here, $729.36, is 63% above the US median of $447.60.
- That is 4.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($179.20).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 24 facilities across 16 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 10, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital lowest Kittanning, PA ESOPHAGRAM, FLUORO, & FILM File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $194.40 | $648.00 | $24.75–$648.00 | 70% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 ESOPHAGUS X-RAY XM SNGL CNTRST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $237.00 | $395.00 | $25.88–$420.98 | 40% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 XR BARIUM SWALLOW File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $256.80 | $428.00 | $42.79–$456.75 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 XR BARIUM SWALLOW File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $257.40 | $429.00 | $15.60–$102.70 | 40% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 XR BARIUM SWALLOW File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $257.40 | $429.00 | $42.79–$456.75 | 40% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 ESOPHAGUS/BA SWALLOW File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $324.10 | $463.00 | $43.12–$391.41 | 30% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA Esophagram Study File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $396.20 | $566.00 | $105.84–$594.30 | 30% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 SINGLE CONTRAST X-RAY OF ESOPHAGUS File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $460.00 | $920.00 | $21.36–$396.12 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $510.00 | $1,020.00 | $21.36–$396.12 | 50% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $556.50 | $795.00 | $43.12–$572.40 | 30% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $678.37 | $881.00 | $36.00–$541.03 | 23% |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $687.18 | $881.00 | $36.00–$539.04 | 22% |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $687.18 | $881.00 | $36.00–$541.03 | 22% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CNTRST+1 more line at this price File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $714.67 | $979.00 | $36.00–$600.93 | 27% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $744.04 | $979.00 | $36.00–$596.93 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $753.30 | $930.00 | $36.00–$561.00 | 19% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 ESOPHAGUS X-RAY XM SNGL CNTRST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $779.40 | $1,299.00 | $41.25–$1,104.15 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC ESOPHAGUS File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $804.00 | $1,340.00 | $41.25–$1,139.00 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 ESOPHAGUS X-RAY XM SNGL CNTRST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $810.00 | $1,350.00 | $41.25–$1,147.50 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 ESOPHAGUS X-RAY XM SNGL CNTRST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $832.80 | $1,388.00 | $41.25–$1,110.40 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 ESOPHAGUS X-RAY XM SNGL CNTRST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $873.00 | $1,455.00 | $41.25–$1,309.50 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC ESOPHAGUS File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $903.60 | $1,506.00 | $41.25–$1,385.52 | 40% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 ESOPHAGUS X-RAY XM SNGL CNTRST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $976.80 | $1,628.00 | $86.56–$1,465.20 | 40% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 ESOPHAGUS File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $1,293.00 | $2,155.00 | $726.24–$1,680.90 | 40% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 BA/RHB SWALLOW+1 more line at this price File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $1,293.00 | $2,155.00 | $579.70–$2,640.95 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 ESOPHAGUS X-RAY XM SNGL CNTRST File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,312.80 | $2,188.00 | $27.00–$1,859.80 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $194.40, median $729.36, highest $1,312.80 — a 6.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 25 facilities here, median $714.67. 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 16 of 24 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 barium swallow is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Barium swallow explained.