Swallow study cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for swallow study (modified barium swallow, video X-ray): from $215.40 to $1,312.80, with a median of $810.00. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Jameson — $594.60 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $563.65 at 64 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 10 cities for code 74230, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Jameson lowest New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $215.40 | $359.00 | $32.20–$420.98 | 40% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 IMAGING FOR EVALUATION OF SWALLOWING FUNCTION | $272.00 | $544.00 | $18.78–$396.12 | 50% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 X-RAY XM SWLNG FUNCJ C+ | $304.50 | $609.00 | $18.78–$396.12 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 MODIFIED BARIUM SWALLOW | $316.75 | $452.50 | $52.90–$391.41 | 30% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 ESOPHAGUS WITH VIDEO | $387.94 | $554.20 | $52.90–$399.02 | 30% | — source file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC XR SWALLOWING STUDY W VIDEO | $688.20 | $930.00 | $44.80–$568.98 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC XR SWALLOWING STUDY W VIDEO | $753.30 | $930.00 | $44.80–$561.00 | 19% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $779.40 | $1,299.00 | $50.60–$1,104.15 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $804.00 | $1,340.00 | $50.60–$1,139.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $810.00 | $1,350.00 | $50.60–$1,147.50 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $832.80 | $1,388.00 | $50.60–$1,110.40 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $873.00 | $1,455.00 | $50.60–$1,309.50 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $903.60 | $1,506.00 | $50.60–$1,385.52 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $919.20 | $1,532.00 | $106.18–$1,378.80 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 BARIUM SWALLOW-COOKIES | $1,293.00 | $2,155.00 | $726.24–$1,680.90 | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 RHB SWALLOWING STUDY | $1,293.00 | $2,155.00 | $579.70–$2,640.95 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 SWALLOWING FUNC ESOPH | $1,312.80 | $2,188.00 | $33.60–$1,859.80 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $215.40, median $810.00, highest $1,312.80 — a 6.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $821.40. 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 13 of 15 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 swallow study films the mouth and throat on X-ray while you swallow foods and liquids with barium. It shows whether food goes into the airway and is often done with a speech therapist after a stroke.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the X-ray part. The speech therapist's evaluation is billed separately.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 74230 ($437.06). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PACHG RADIOLOGIC EXAM SWALLOW FUNCTION CONTRAST STUDY | $13.49 | file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PACHG RADIOLOGIC EXAM SWALLOW FUNCTION CONTRAST STUDY | $18.46 | file |