emergency
How much does an ER visit cost?
An emergency room visit. Costs vary by severity level.
Compare published hospital prices for ER visit, including cash prices, negotiated ranges, and related billing codes.
National average published cash price: $302; range $10 to $5,642 with a median around $212.
Emergency department visit at one of five evaluation-and-management levels (99281 lowest, 99285 highest).
Also known as: ed visit, emergency department visit, emergency department visit cost, emergency room cost, emergency room cost without insurance, emergency room visit, emergency room visit cost, er cost, er visit, er visit cost, how much does an er visit cost
- Hospitals compared
- 3,294
- With cash prices
- 3,126
- With negotiated rates
- 8
Data last refreshed:
Five severity levels. 99281 is the lowest (minor); 99285 is the highest (life-threatening). Facility fees and any tests/imaging are billed separately.
Hospital-published charge for the ED evaluation at the indicated severity level. Typically reflects the physician's professional charge, but whether the row also includes facility components depends on the hospital's reporting. The ER facility fee, imaging, labs, medications, IV fluids, splints, and specialist consults are billed under separate codes — those typically more than double the total bill.
Billing codes in this group
| System | Code | Description | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPT | 99281 | Level 1 — minor | PRIMARY |
| CPT | 99282 | Level 2 — low complexity | PRIMARY |
| CPT | 99283 | Level 3 — moderate | PRIMARY |
| CPT | 99284 | Level 4 — high complexity | PRIMARY |
| CPT | 99285 | Level 5 — life-threatening | PRIMARY |
Hospital prices
| Hospital | Cash min | Cash median | Negotiated range | Payers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Kingman, KS | $10 | $65 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
| $11 | $68 | No negotiated data | No payer names published | |
| $11 | $53 | No negotiated data | No payer names published | |
Pampa, TX | $14 | $138 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Fresno, CA | $15 | $45 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Mesa, AZ | $16 | $99 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Conroe, TX | $16 | $117 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Waverly, TN | $18 | $54 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Pickens, SC | $19 | $143 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Anderson, SC | $19 | $143 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Salem, OR | $21 | $420 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
| $22 | $65 | No negotiated data | No payer names published | |
Austin, TX | $22 | $200 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Oviedo, FL | $23 | $565 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Rock Hill, SC | $24 | $1,563 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
El Paso, TX | $25 | $376 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Ft Wayne, IN | $26 | $70 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Pittsburg, TX | $26 | $123 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Cullman, AL | $26 | $86 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Carthage, TX | $26 | $128 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Jacksonville, TX | $27 | $131 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Athens, TX | $27 | $131 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Quitman, TX | $27 | $131 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Royersford, PA | $28 | $28 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
Nocona, TX | $28 | $53 | No negotiated data | No payer names published |
On this page: cash price for 25/25, negotiated rates for 0/25, payer names published for 0/25 hospitals.
Common questions
How much does an ER visit cost?
Nationally, hospitals in the cleartau dataset publish an average cash price of $302 for ER visit across 3,126 hospitals with cash prices. An emergency room visit. Costs vary by severity level. These figures are for the ED level CPT comparison group. Published cash prices range from $10 to $5,642, with a median around $212. Use the table to compare hospitals, cash prices, negotiated rates, and coverage. Actual patient responsibility can vary by insurance benefits, deductible status, setting, and separate professional or ancillary bills.
What does the ER visit price include?
Hospital-published charge for the ED evaluation at the indicated severity level. Typically reflects the physician's professional charge, but whether the row also includes facility components depends on the hospital's reporting. The ER facility fee, imaging, labs, medications, IV fluids, splints, and specialist consults are billed under separate codes — those typically more than double the total bill.
Which billing codes are used for ER visit?
The current mapping includes 99281 (HC EMERGENCY DEPT VISIT LVL 1), 99282 (HC EMERGENCY DEPT VISIT LVL 2), 99283 (HC EMERGENCY DEPT VISIT LVL 3), 99284 (HC EMERGENCY DEPT VISIT LVL 4) and 99285 (HC EMERGENCY DEPT VISIT LVL 5). These CPT codes are grouped only when they describe the same clinical comparison. If the page has multiple tabs, switch tabs before comparing prices because outpatient, inpatient, and severity-based bundles can mean different things.