Barium swallow cost in Riverside, CA
In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for Barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $224.00 to $1,508.02, with a median of $478.40. The lowest listed price is at Chino Valley Medical Center and 2 other hospitals — $254.40 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $548.80 at 101 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 13 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 17, 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chino Valley Medical Center lowest Chino, CA Hc Esophagram | $224.00 | $1,376.34 | $40.98–$1,376.34 | 84% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Desert Valley Hospital lowest Victorville, CA XR ESOPHAGUS | $224.00 | $956.24 | $40.98–$956.24 | 77% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Montclair Hospital Medical Center lowest Montclair, CA Hc Esophagram | $224.00 | $1,376.34 | $40.98–$1,376.34 | 84% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta Murrieta, CA HC RDLGC XM ESPHGS SNGL CNTST STY | $259.65 | $577.00 | $104.44–$432.75 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| San Antonio Regional Hospital Upland, CA Single contrast X-ray of esophagus | $281.00 | $1,755.00 | $54.64–$3,224.81 | 84% | Apr 2, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta Murrieta, CA HC ESOPHOGRAM | $442.80 | $984.00 | $137.33–$738.00 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fontana Fontana, CA RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $478.40 | $920.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Riverside Riverside, CA RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $478.40 | $920.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Moreno Valley Moreno Valley, CA RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $478.40 | $920.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% | — source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Apple Valley, CA HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST | $519.84 | $1,083.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA HC RDLGC XM ESPHGS SNGL CNTST STY | $539.10 | $1,198.00 | $65.51–$1,078.20 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA HC ESOPHOGRAM | $539.10 | $1,198.00 | $65.51–$1,078.20 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center Redlands, CA HC ESOPHOGRAM | $539.10 | $1,198.00 | $225.59–$958.40 | 55% | Aug 31, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda, CA HC ESOPHOGRAM | $593.55 | $1,319.00 | $63.99–$1,121.15 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda, CA HC RDLGC XM ESPHGS SNGL CNTST STY | $593.55 | $1,319.00 | $63.99–$1,121.15 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Palo Verde Hospital Blythe, CA XR Esophagus | $720.00 | $960.00 | — | 25% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Hospital of Barstow INC Barstow, CA Single contrast X-ray of esophagus | $926.02 | $1,543.36 | $54.64–$1,919.33 | 40% | Sep 17, 2026 source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA HC Esophogram | $1,508.02 | $1,508.02 | $28.57–$1,508.02 | — | — source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA HC Esophogram | $1,508.02 | $1,508.02 | $28.57–$1,508.02 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $224.00, median $478.40, highest $1,508.02 — a 6.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $529.47. 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 12 of 13 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.