Barium swallow cost in St. Louis, MO — inpatient
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 7 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast) as an inpatient: from $553.68 to $911.85, with a median of $703.44. The lowest listed price is at St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis — $149.76 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $410.80 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 7 cities for code 74220, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 16, 2026 and Mar 16, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis lowest Breese, IL HC XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $553.68 | $769.00 | $48.67–$769.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South Louis, MO ESOPHAGUS | $610.20 | $610.20 | $610.20 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL 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 Inc Greenville, IL HC XRAY ESOPHAGUS | $718.56 | $998.00 | $51.11–$998.00 | 28% | — source file |
| American Healthcare Systems Illinois LLC Granite City, IL FL-ESOPHAGUS | $736.27 | $1,227.11 | $1,227.11 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis Chesterfield, MO ESOPHAGUS | $911.85 | $911.85 | $911.85 | — | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $553.68, median $703.44, highest $911.85 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $484.70 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 5 of 7 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.