# Infectious disease doctors in Colorado

> An infectious disease doctor is a doctor who diagnoses and treats infections that are hard to identify or treat. They also manage long-term infections such as HIV.

Source: Colorado Health Insurance Colorado Care Index (https://coloradohealthinsurance.com/care/infectious-disease), data updated 2026-11-11. Published by Grove Benefit Advisors LLC, a licensed Colorado health insurance agency.

## When people see one

- An infection that does not clear with the usual antibiotics
- A fever with no known cause
- HIV care or prevention
- A hospital stay that involved a serious infection

## How it differs

- Internal medicine doctor: An internist treats common infections along with other adult conditions. An infectious disease doctor takes on the unusual, resistant, or long-lasting ones.
- Pulmonologist (lung doctor): Both can treat lung infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis. A pulmonologist focuses on the lungs; an infectious disease doctor on the germ.

## On 2027 Colorado plans

- Referral: On some plans. 37 of the 148 2027 plans need a referral from your primary care provider to see a specialist: Kaiser Permanente's 29 plans (you may self-refer to certain specialists) and Denver Health (Elevate)'s 8 plans (self-referral allowed for OB-GYN and outpatient mental health care). The other 111 don't, according to each plan's 2027 summary of benefits. Confirm in the plan's summary of benefits.
- Visit cost by metal level (standard plans):
  - Bronze: $100 to $140 a visit on 10 of 56 plans
  - Silver: $50 to $90 a visit on 44 of 58 plans
  - Gold: $50 to $90 a visit on 26 of 30 plans

## In Colorado

- 178 clinicians at 73 locations in public records (NPPES, CMS).

## Questions to ask the office

- Do I need a referral from my primary care doctor?
- Which 2027 plans and network names do you take?
- How long is the wait for a new patient?
- Are infusion treatments given here or at a hospital?

## Sources

- [MedlinePlus: Infections](https://medlineplus.gov/infections.html)
- [Infectious Diseases Society of America](https://www.idsociety.org/)