Barium swallow cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 11 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $273.65 to $736.27, with a median of $484.70. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital South — $211.05 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $410.80 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 9 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Xr Esophagus/Barium Swallow | $273.65 | $421.00 | $107.83–$322.80 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Xr Esophagus/Barium Swallow | $283.40 | $436.00 | $176.00–$201.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Xr Esophagus/Barium Swallow | $402.35 | $619.00 | $107.83–$322.80 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Xr Esophagus/Barium Swallow | $410.80 | $632.00 | $107.83–$342.28 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Xr Esophagus/Barium Swallow | $433.55 | $667.00 | $168.62–$233.71 | 35% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST | $484.70 | $484.70 | $79.60–$356.04 | — | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $553.68 | $769.00 | $48.67–$769.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $641.52 | $891.00 | $113.28–$891.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $703.44 | $977.00 | $48.67–$977.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $718.56 | $998.00 | $51.11–$998.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 FL-ESOPHAGUS | $736.27 | $1,227.11 | $1,227.11 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $273.65, median $484.70, highest $736.27 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $703.44. 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 6 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.