Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) cost in Denver, CO

Prices at 4 hospitals in Denver, CO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,106 — 13% below the US median ($1,278), roughly 3.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Denver Health & Hospital Authority Denver, CO $675 $1,257 ★ 3/5 208 min —
National Jewish Health Denver, CO $1,537 $1,427 — — —

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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,063
Cash / self-pay
$1,106
Insurer-negotiated
$2,437
Medicare pays
$284
$761$1,451
Median cash $1,106  ·  Medicare $284  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,106 — about 3.9× the Medicare rate ($284). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,063 list price could save about $956 (46%).

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.

All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Colorado → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Denver