Children’s Colorado Hospital: Pediatric Care & Info

2025 Children’s Colorado systemwide numbers

Emergency symptoms include

• Severe asthma attack or serious breathing difficulty.
• Head injury followed by vomiting, confusion or reduced alertness.
• Severe abdominal pain.
• A seizure that does not stop.
• Severe cut or injury with excessive bleeding.
• Serious allergic reaction.
• Major burn.
• Suspected poisoning.
• Major trauma or multiple injuries.
• A rapidly worsening condition where waiting appears unsafe.

ER vs urgent care

Trauma care begins before hospital arrival and can continue through emergency assessment, diagnostic imaging, surgery, critical care, rehabilitation and follow-up.

Trauma specialists can treat

• Brain and head injuries.
• Broken bones and complex orthopedic trauma.
• Burns.
• Animal and human bites.
• Abdominal and chest injuries.
• Vehicle-related injuries.
• Falls.
• Pelvic injuries.
• Multiple-system trauma.

The Heart Institute provides pediatric cardiology, cardiac critical care and heart surgery for children with congenital and acquired cardiovascular disease.

Heart services include

• Pediatric cardiology.
• Congenital heart surgery.
• Cardiac intensive care.
• Cardiac catheterization.
• Electrophysiology and rhythm care.
• Fetal cardiology.
• Cardiac imaging.
• Cardiomyopathy and heart-failure care.
• Heart transplantation.
• Pulmonary-hypertension care.
• Adult congenital-heart disease.

Children’s Colorado’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders is the region’s only pediatric center offering individualized cancer and blood-disorder care from birth through age 25 and participates in more than 400 clinical trials.

Conditions include

• Acute lymphoblastic and myeloid leukemia.
• Lymphoma.
• Brain and spinal cord tumors.
• Bone tumors.
• Sarcomas.
• Solid-organ cancers.
• Sickle-cell disease.
• Bleeding and clotting disorders.
• Bone-marrow failure.

The Neuroscience Institute treats neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders through pediatric neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, imaging specialists and multidisciplinary clinics.

Neurosurgery treats conditions including

• Hydrocephalus.
• Epilepsy and seizures.
• Brain tumors.
• Spinal-cord tumors.
• Spina bifida.
• Skull and craniofacial disorders.
• Neurovascular disease.
• Spasticity.
• Traumatic neurological injury.

Children’s Colorado describes its Pediatric Neurosurgery Program as the most complete pediatric neurosurgery program in the Rocky Mountain region, with more than 60 years of combined neurosurgical experience.

Examples of pediatric surgery

• Appendicitis and hernia surgery.
• Abdominal and thoracic surgery.
• Fetal surgery.
• Neonatal surgery.
• Trauma surgery.
• Colorectal surgery.
• Cancer surgery.
• Minimally invasive surgery.
• Robotic-assisted surgery.
• Cardiac surgery.
• Neurosurgery.
• Orthopedic surgery.
• ENT surgery.
• Urologic surgery.
• Transplant surgery.

Where surgical families go

The Anschutz PICU is the largest pediatric intensive-care unit in the Rocky Mountain region and has more than 150 clinicians, nurses and specialized team members.

PICU patients may include children with

• Severe respiratory failure.
• Major trauma.
• Sepsis.
• Organ failure.
• Neurological emergencies.
• Postoperative intensive-care needs.
• Complex chronic medical conditions.

The Anschutz NICU cares for critically ill and medically complex newborns and has on-site access to fetal medicine, pediatric surgery, cardiac care and other pediatric subspecialties.

NICU services can include

• Advanced ventilation.
• ECMO for selected newborns.
• Neonatal surgery.
• Cardiac care.
• Neurocritical care.
• Genetic diagnosis.
• Family mental-health support.
• Child Life and sibling support.
• Palliative care when needed.

Children’s Colorado can also help long-stay NICU families arrange temporary housing near the hospital.

Fetal services include

• Maternal-fetal medicine consultation.
• Fetal ultrasound.
• Fetal MRI.
• Fetal echocardiography.
• Genetic consultation/testing.
• Fetoscopic treatment.
• Open fetal surgery.
• High-risk labor and delivery.
• Immediate neonatal and pediatric specialty care after delivery.

If an expectant parent has an adult medical condition requiring adult-hospital services, the team can coordinate delivery across the street at UCHealth.

Imaging can include

• X-ray.
• Ultrasound.
• MRI.
• CT.
• Nuclear medicine.
• Cardiac imaging.
• Fetal imaging.
• Image-guided procedures.

Long hospital stay?

RV parking may be available for families of inpatients staying at least five days. Contact Parking and Access Control at 720-777-9775.

Children’s Colorado does not publish one simple visitor-hours window that applies identically to every inpatient unit. Clinical departments can add restrictions depending on infection-control needs, respiratory season and the child’s condition.

Important current visitor rules

• All visitors and family members age 18+ receive a security badge at check-in.
• Government/photo identification should be available for screening.
• Patients and visitors are screened for illness.
• Anyone with symptoms may need to wear a hospital-issued medical mask or may be restricted from visiting.
• Siblings under age 18 may visit during allowed visiting hours.
• Other visitors under age 18 are not generally permitted.
• Additional restrictions may apply between December and April during respiratory-virus season.
• Patients can choose who may visit, subject to clinical and safety restrictions.
• Weapons, recreational drugs, alcohol and tobacco are not allowed.

Gift Shop weekday hours

Monday–Thursday: 9am–4pm
Friday: 9am–3pm
Weekend/evening hours depend on volunteer availability.

Examples of participating plan families

2026 Exchange plans that include Children’s Colorado

• Anthem/Elevance HMO Mountain Enhanced / Mountain Enhanced Standard.
• Selected Anthem Pathway products for Colorado Springs locations only.
• Denver Health Elevate / Elevate Colorado Option.
• Kaiser Permanente KP Select.
• Kaiser Permanente KP CO HMO.
• Kaiser Permanente KP Colorado Option.
• Selected Rocky Mountain Health Plans products.
• Select Health Value / Select Health Value Colorado Option.

Current published average self-pay ER facility charges

Examples of additional self-pay ER procedure charges at Anschutz

Doctor fees

Physician fees are generally separate because most specialists are employed by CU Medicine. For a physician estimate, contact CU Medicine at 303-493-7061.

Hospital cost-estimate contacts

Why you may receive two bills

Payment methods

• MyChart online payment.
• MyChart guest pay.
• Phone payment through Patient Financial Services.
• Check or money order by mail.
• Major credit cards for supported electronic/phone payments.

Payment plans

Automatic monthly payment plans can be set up through MyChart or by calling 720-777-6422. Many payment plans are six months or less, although longer arrangements may be considered case by case.

Anyone can ask Children’s Colorado to screen for financial assistance. Uninsured families are automatically contacted to discuss potential assistance options.

Financial counselors can help with

• Health First Colorado (Medicaid).
• Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+).
• Hospital Discounted Care / charity care.
• Payment plans.
• Temporary Medicaid coverage for some eligible pregnant patients and children while applications are processed.

Approximate annual income limits for Hospital Discounted Care

Three ways to request records

Teen confidentiality matters

Patient signatures are required in certain situations, including reproductive-health/HIV/substance-related information beginning at specified ages and behavioral-health records for minors age 12 and older.

Parent access by age

Family Resource Center amenities

• Business center.
• Kitchen and dining area.
• Laundry facilities.
• Shower room.
• Relaxation room.
• Private respite bedrooms, first come first served.
• Travel and lodging assistance.
• Transportation help.
• Food, clothing and toiletry assistance when available.
• MyChart activation help.
• Family Health Library.
• Creative Play Center.
• T(w)een Zone and Seacrest Studios.

For lodging coordination, call the Family Resource Center at 720-777-5329 instead of arriving at a charitable lodging facility without confirming eligibility and availability.