Barium swallow cost in Providence, RI
In Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $176.75 to $615.09, with a median of $446.00. The lowest listed price is at Kent County Memorial Hospital and 1 other hospital — $269.25 less than the median here. Across Rhode Island, the median is $446.00 at 7 hospitals.
- The median here, $446.00, is about the same as the US median of $447.60.
- That is 2.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($179.20).
- 5 of 11 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 8 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 15, 2025 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County Memorial Hospital lowest Warwick, RI · (401) 737-7010 HC Esophagram - Fl Esophagus Barium Swallow File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $176.75 | $505.00 | $33.99–$471.17 | 65% |
| Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island lowest Providence, RI · (401) 274-1100 HC Esophagram - Fl Esophagus Barium Swallow File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $176.75 | $505.00 | $59.71–$464.60 | 65% |
| Landmark Medical Center Woonsocket, RI · (401) 769-4100 Hc Esophagram File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $196.00 | $1,008.70 | $91.09–$958.27 | 81% |
| The Miriam Hospital Providence, RI · (401) 793-2500 HC ESOPHAGUS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $446.00 | $446.00 | — | — |
| Newport Hospital Newport, RI · (401) 846-6400 HC ESOPHAGUS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $446.00 | $446.00 | — | — |
| Rhode Island Hospital Providence, RI · (401) 444-4000 HC ESOPHAGUS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $446.00 | $446.00 | — | — |
| Brown University Health Morton Hospital Taunton, MA · (508) 828-7000 HC ESOPHAGUS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $507.43 | $507.43 | — | — |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group Fall River, MA · (508) 679-3131 HC Esophagram File of Dec 15, 2025 · source file | $535.50 | $1,071.00 | $75.85–$815.03 | 50% |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - St. Luke's Hospital St. New Bedford, MA HC Esophagram File of Dec 15, 2025 · source file | $535.50 | $1,071.00 | $75.85–$815.03 | 50% |
| South County Health Wakefield, RI · (401) 782-8000 Radiologic examination, esophagus, including scout chest radiograph(s) and delayed image(s), when performed; single-contrast (eg, barium) study File of Jul 24, 2026 · source file | $569.40 | $949.00 | $242.10 | 40% |
| Saint Anne's Hospital Fall River, MA · (508) 674-5600 HC ESOPHAGUS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $615.09 | $615.09 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $176.75, median $446.00, highest $615.09 — a 3.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $446.00. 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 5 of 6 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.