Colorado / Denver Health Medical Center
CMS certification 060011 · Denver, CO
Denver Health Medical Center: charges and Medicare payments
Denver Health Medical Center reported 317 Medicare inpatient stays across 15 DRGs in 2024. Across them it charged 2.84 times what it was paid — among the lower ratios in Colorado, number 36 of 37 hospitals with at least 100 stays (state median 6.33×, national 4.15×). Its most frequent stay was DRG 871, Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC: 84 stays at an average charge of $68,584, 24% below the national average. It also billed 700 outpatient services, charging 5.83 times what Medicare paid.
- 1Medicare inpatient stays 317
- 2Charge ÷ paid, inpatient 2.84×
- 3Rank in CO (highest ratio = 1) 36 of 37
- 4CMS price-transparency actions 0
Inpatient stays
For the 15 DRGs that can be compared with the national average, Denver Health Medical Center charged more than the national average in 4 (27%). Payments follow Medicare's rates, so they usually vary far less than charges.
| DRG | Stays | Avg charge | vs US | Avg paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 871 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC | 84 | $68,584 | -24% | $25,737 |
| 291 Heart Failure and Shock with MCC | 25 | $65,652 | +16% | $18,765 |
| 640 Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and... | 25 | $52,508 | -13% | $19,642 |
| 853 Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with... | 25 | $101,597 | -56% | $50,397 |
| 189 Pulmonary Edema and Respiratory Failure | 21 | $28,693 | -50% | $18,430 |
| 064 Intracranial Hemorrhage or Cerebral Infarction with MCC | 17 | $123,607 | +24% | $25,722 |
| 480 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with MCC | 17 | $177,797 | +28% | $34,862 |
| 177 Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC | 16 | $63,019 | -11% | $21,272 |
| 175 Pulmonary Embolism with MCC or Acute Cor Pulmonale | 15 | $59,317 | -9% | $20,454 |
| 896 Alcohol, Drug Abuse or Dependence without Rehabilitation... | 14 | $42,860 | -45% | $24,631 |
| 193 Simple Pneumonia and Pleurisy with MCC | 12 | $35,199 | -41% | $19,327 |
| 280 Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive with MCC | 12 | $63,575 | -16% | $22,804 |
| 481 Hip and Femur Procedures except Major Joint with CC | 12 | $102,345 | +2% | $26,125 |
| 312 Syncope and Collapse | 11 | $28,238 | -38% | $15,025 |
| 872 Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC | 11 | $33,958 | -31% | $16,639 |
Outpatient services
Against the Colorado average
For Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC (DRG 871), Denver Health Medical Center charged $68,584 on average, 39% less than the Colorado average of $113,091, and was paid $25,737 against a state average of $16,848. For Heart Failure and Shock with MCC (DRG 291), Denver Health Medical Center charged $65,652 on average, 8% less than the Colorado average of $71,240, and was paid $18,765 against a state average of $11,134. For Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes with MCC (DRG 640), Denver Health Medical Center charged $52,508 on average, 38% less than the Colorado average of $84,334, and was paid $19,642 against a state average of $12,128. For Infectious and Parasitic Diseases with O.R. Procedures with MCC (DRG 853), Denver Health Medical Center charged $101,597 on average, 66% less than the Colorado average of $295,920, and was paid $50,397 against a state average of $43,647. For Comprehensive Observation Services (outpatient APC 8011), its average charge of $17,549 was 48% below the state average of $34,074. For Level 1 Intraocular Procedures (outpatient APC 5491), its average charge of $11,396 was 10% above the state average of $10,331. For Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage (outpatient APC 5072), its average charge of $5,840 was 58% below the state average of $13,898. For Level 2 Urology and Related Services (outpatient APC 5372), its average charge of $1,939 was 52% below the state average of $4,079.
Price-transparency record
No action in CMS's price-transparency enforcement list (July 2026) matches this hospital's exact name, city and state. That can mean CMS has not reviewed it, or that it is listed under a different name.
Charges are the hospital's list prices averaged over its 2024 Medicare cases; payments are what those cases actually brought in. Neither is what you will pay. For a planned procedure, ask the hospital for its price estimate or, if you are uninsured or self-paying, a good-faith estimate.
Sources: CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals — by Provider and Service / by Geography and Service, data year 2024; CMS Medicare Outpatient Hospitals — by Provider and Service / by Geography and Service, data year 2024; CMS Hospital Price Transparency Enforcement Activities and Outcomes, July 2026. Checked 2026-10-24. Methodology.