Swallow study cost in Montana

Prices at 17 hospitals in Montana, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $300 — 10% above the US median ($272), roughly 3.5× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Deer Lodge Medical Center Deer Lodge, MT $187 $197 118 min 15.3%
Big Sandy Medical Center Big Sandy, MT $210 $259 72 min
Big Horn Hospital Hardin, MT $215 140 min
St Luke Community Hospital Ronan, MT $226 $273 110 min 15.1%
Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital Bozeman, MT $233 $67 ★ 4/5 142 min 14.4%
Sidney Health Center Sidney, MT $243 $354 ★ 3/5 152 min 14.7%
Community Medical Center Missoula, MT $290 $411 ★ 3/5 128 min 15.2%
Clark Fork Valley Hospital Plains, MT $300 $300 153 min 14.7%
Benefis Hospitals Inc Great Falls, MT $317 $504 ★ 2/5 190 min 14.0%
Missouri River Medical Center Fort Benton, MT $317 $504 107 min
Benefis Teton Medical Center Choteau, MT $317 $502 92 min
St Peters Health Helena, MT $323 $269 ★ 3/5 178 min 14.3%
Billings Clinic Billings, MT $379 ★ 4/5 172 min 14.2%
Billings Clinic Broadwater Townsend, MT $379 81 min
Great Falls Clinic Hospital Great Falls, MT $414 $123 ★ 2/5 136 min 15.0%

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 June 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)
$379
Cash / self-pay
$300
Insurer-negotiated
$271
Medicare pays
$85
$212$379
Median cash $300  ·  Medicare $85  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $300 — about 3.5× the Medicare rate ($85). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($170).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $379 list price could save about $79 (21%).

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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.

Swallow study cost in other states

All Swallow study prices (national) → · All hospitals in Montana →