Barium swallow cost in Waterloo, IA
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $176.60 to $665.60, with a median of $665.60. The lowest listed price is at Allen Hospital — $489.00 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $221.58 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 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 Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Hospital lowest Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 HC ESOPHAGRAM SGL CONTRAST STUDY | $176.60 | $220.75 | $103.97–$485.13 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 CHG RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY | $190.40 | $238.00 | $86.15–$266.73 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Covenant Medical Center Waterloo, IA HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $665.60 | $1,024.00 | $165.25–$1,024.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC Xr Esophogram Chest Radiograph(S) & Delayed Images Single Contrast Study | $665.60 | $1,024.00 | $165.25–$1,024.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $176.60, median $665.60, highest $665.60 — a 3.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $665.60. 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 3 of 3 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.