Barium swallow cost in Richmond, VA
In Richmond, VA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $970.20 to $1,231.80, with a median of $1,231.80. The lowest listed price is at Bon Secours Southside Medical Center — $261.60 less than the median here. Across Virginia, the median is $451.50 at 35 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 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 — 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 Richmond, VA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Secours Southside Medical Center lowest Petersburg, VA · (804) 765-5000 HC Fluro Esophagram | $970.20 | $3,234.00 | — | 70% | — source file |
| Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital Richmond, VA · (804) 225-1701 HC Fluro Esophagram | $1,231.80 | $2,053.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Bon Secours St Marys Hospital of Richmond Richmond, VA · (804) 285-2011 HC Fluro Esophagram | $1,231.80 | $2,053.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Bon Secours St Francis Medical Center Midlothian, VA · (804) 594-7400 HC Fluro Esophagram | $1,231.80 | $2,053.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center Mechanicsville, VA · (804) 764-6000 HC Fluro Esophagram | $1,231.80 | $2,053.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $970.20, median $1,231.80, highest $1,231.80 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $1,113.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
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.