Barium swallow cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 16 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $205.44 to $1,008.00, with a median of $445.29. The lowest listed price is at Swedish Issaquah and 2 other hospitals — $239.85 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $556.00 at 49 hospitals.
- The median here, $445.29, is about the same as the US median of $445.39.
- That is 2.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($179.20).
- 1 of 16 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 12 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 12, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 12, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish Issaquah lowest Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $205.44 | $428.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $205.44 | $428.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $205.44 | $428.00 | — | 52% |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Esophogram Complete Sgl Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $261.50 | $523.00 | — | 50% |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $359.32 | $691.00 | — | 48% |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC ESOPHAGRAM W/KUB File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $421.79 | $1,462.51 | $204.70–$1,096.89 | 71% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $424.80 | $885.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $424.80 | $885.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC XR ESOPHAGUS W CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $424.80 | $885.00 | — | 52% |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC ESOPHAGRAM W/KUB File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $444.75 | $1,462.51 | $204.70–$1,096.89 | 70% |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC ESOPHAGRAM W/KUB File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $445.19 | $1,462.51 | $203.68–$1,316.26 | 70% |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 HC Xr Esophagus Single Contrast+1 more line at this price File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $445.39 | $860.00 | $199.81–$2,601.42 | 48% |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC ESOPHAGRAM W/KUB File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $449.73 | $1,462.51 | $203.68–$1,096.89 | 69% |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC ESOPHAGRAM W/KUB File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $479.27 | $1,462.51 | $204.70–$1,096.89 | 67% |
| St Elizabeth Hospital Enumclaw, WA · (360) 825-2505 HC ESOPHAGRAM W/KUB File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $537.04 | $1,462.51 | $207.00–$1,316.26 | 63% |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 "RAD EXAM, ESOPHAGUS INCL SCOUT CHEST RADIOGRAPH, SINGLE-CONTRAST STUDY" File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $616.00 | $770.00 | $179.00–$635.00 | 20% |
| Valley Medical Center Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 Radiologic Exam Esophagus Single Contrast Study File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $649.60 | $928.00 | — | 30% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC CONTRAST X-RAY ESOPHAGUS File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $656.80 | $821.00 | $69.79–$738.90 | 20% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Esophagram File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $1,008.00 | $1,008.00 | $254.02–$967.68 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $205.44, median $445.29, highest $1,008.00 — a 4.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $533.97. 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 9 of 10 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 barium swallow is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Barium swallow explained.