Barium swallow cost in Wheeling, WV
In Wheeling, WV-OH, 3 hospitals list a cash price for Barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $273.50 to $373.00, with a median of $324.00. The lowest listed price is at Barnesville Hospital Association, Inc. — $50.50 less than the median here. Across West Virginia, the median is $360.00 at 19 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 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 Jul 9, 2026 and Jul 9, 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 Wheeling, WV-OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnesville Hospital Association, Inc. lowest Barnesville, OH X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST | $273.50 | $547.00 | $4,748.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Wheeling Hospital, Inc. Wheeling, WV SINGLE CONTRAST X-RAY OF ESOPHAGUS | $324.00 | $648.00 | $21.36–$715.25 | 50% | Jul 9, 2026 source file |
| Wheeling Hospital, Inc. Wheeling, WV X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST | $340.50 | $681.00 | $21.36–$715.25 | 50% | Jul 9, 2026 source file |
| Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Inc. Glen Dale, WV SINGLE CONTRAST X-RAY OF ESOPHAGUS | $373.00 | $746.00 | $21.36–$293.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Inc. Glen Dale, WV X-RAY XM ESOPHAGUS 1CNTRST | $392.00 | $784.00 | $21.36–$293.00 | 50% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $273.50, median $324.00, highest $373.00 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 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 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.