Barium swallow study cost in Albuquerque, NM

Prices at 4 hospitals in Albuquerque, NM, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $522 — 18% above the US median ($442), roughly 4.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Unm Hospital Albuquerque, NM $231 $173 ★ 2/5 273 min
Lovelace Medical Center Albuquerque, NM $522 $1,490 ★ 2/5 212 min
Lovelace Women's Hospital Albuquerque, NM $522 $1,490 ★ 4/5 205 min
Lovelace Westside Hospital Albuquerque, NM $522 $1,490 ★ 4/5 159 min

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated September 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$1,740
Cash / self-pay
$522
Insurer-negotiated
$1,490
Medicare pays
$107
$318$522
Median cash $522  ·  Medicare $107  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $522 — about 4.9× the Medicare rate ($107). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($214).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,740 list price could save about $1,218 (70%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

Doctors who perform this in Albuquerque

Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
Prajna Chopra, M.D., RDMSInterventional RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM115
William ThompsonDiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM104
Val Smalley, DODiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM54
Mark Ehrhart, MDDiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM32
Lara Patriquin, MDDiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM26
Steven Eberhardt, MDDiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM21
William ThompsonDiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM18
Russell Parker, MDDiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM17
Valerie SandsDiagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM14
Mary Grebenc, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyAlbuquerque, NM12

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All Barium swallow study prices in New Mexico → · All Barium swallow study prices (national) · All hospitals in Albuquerque