Prices at 4 hospitals in Denver, CO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $687 — 131% above the US median ($298), roughly 17.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Health & Hospital Authority | Denver, CO | $161 | $169 | ★ 3/5 | 211 min | 14.5% |
| National Jewish Health | Denver, CO | $321 | $298 | — | — | — |
| HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Luke's | Denver, CO | $1,052 | $156 | ★ 2/5 | 117 min | 15.4% |
| HCA Healthone Rose | Denver, CO | $2,105 | $211 | ★ 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 $687 — about 17.0× the Medicare rate ($40). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($81).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $756 list price could save about $70 (9%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Lowry, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Denver, CO | 166 |
| Todd Vanderheiden, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Denver, CO | 113 |
| Cole Nielsen, PA | Physician Assistant | Denver, CO | 71 |
| Edward Parks, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | Denver, CO | 65 |
| Sarah Robbins, ACNP | Nurse Practitioner | Denver, CO | 53 |
| Douglas Dennis, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Denver, CO | 42 |
| George Frey, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Denver, CO | 37 |
| Thomas Sanders, PAC | Physician Assistant | Denver, CO | 32 |
| Jessica Weber, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Denver, CO | 30 |
| Michael Eby, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | Denver, CO | 29 |
| Emily Stewart, P.A | Physician Assistant | Denver, CO | 27 |
| Brian Larkin, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Denver, CO | 23 |
All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (2 views) prices in Colorado → · All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (2 views) prices (national) · All hospitals in Denver