Barium swallow cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 7 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $366.00 to $503.00, with a median of $503.00. The lowest listed price is at Jefferson Medical Center — $137.00 less than the median here.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 6 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 Apr 1, 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Medical Center lowest Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST | $366.00 | $732.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Urography Retrograde With/Wo Kub | $436.50 | $873.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC XR ESOPH SGL CONTRAST STUDY | $503.00 | $1,006.00 | $80.04–$784.68 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC XR ESOPH SGL CONTRAST STUDY | $503.00 | $1,006.00 | $80.04–$784.68 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC XR ESOPH SGL CONTRAST STUDY | $503.00 | $1,006.00 | $80.04–$784.68 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC XR ESOPH SGL CONTRAST STUDY | $503.00 | $1,006.00 | $80.04–$784.68 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC XR ESOPH SGL CONTRAST STUDY | $503.00 | $1,006.00 | $80.04–$784.68 | 50% | — source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgr-Barium Swallow | $587.50 | $1,175.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $366.00, median $503.00, highest $503.00 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $503.00. 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 5 of 5 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.