Prices at 4 hospitals in Denver, CO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,281 — 126% above the US median ($568), roughly 10.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Health & Hospital Authority | Denver, CO | $217 | $260 | ★ 3/5 | 211 min | 14.5% |
| National Jewish Health | Denver, CO | $535 | $508 | — | — | — |
| HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Luke's | Denver, CO | $2,027 | $402 | ★ 2/5 | 117 min | 15.4% |
| HCA Healthone Rose | Denver, CO | $5,103 | $402 | ★ 4/5 | 129 min | 14.6% |
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 July 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 $1,281 — about 10.0× the Medicare rate ($128). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($257).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,396 list price could save about $115 (8%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
All Upper GI series (barium) prices in Colorado → · All Upper GI series (barium) prices (national) · All hospitals in Denver