Prices at 4 hospitals in Denver, CO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $848 — 92% above the US median ($441), roughly 7.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Health & Hospital Authority | Denver, CO | $130 | $193 | ★ 3/5 | 208 min | — |
| National Jewish Health | Denver, CO | $522 | $485 | — | — | — |
| HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Luke's | Denver, CO | $1,174 | $317 | ★ 2/5 | 121 min | — |
| HCA Healthone Rose | Denver, CO | $2,523 | $402 | ★ 4/5 | 130 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 October 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)
Typical cash price here is $848 — about 7.9× 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 $960 list price could save about $112 (12%).
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 Denver
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.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tilman Koelsch, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Denver, CO | 194 |
| Valerie Hale, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Denver, CO | 192 |
| David Lynch, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Denver, CO | 78 |
| Matthew Stephens, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Denver, CO | 57 |
| James Kerchberger, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Denver, CO | 34 |
All Barium swallow study prices in Colorado → · All Barium swallow study prices (national) · All hospitals in Denver