Level 1 ER visit cost in Columbia, MO
In Columbia, MO, 2 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $258.60 to $280.80, with a median of $269.70. The lowest listed price is at Curators of the University of Missouri — $11.10 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $112.45 at 29 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 15, 2025 and Apr 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Columbia, MO.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curators of the University of Missouri lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 ER VISIT LEVEL I-EC | $258.60 | $431.00 | $83.72–$86.97 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Curators of the University of Missouri lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 ER VISIT LEVEL I-JER | $258.60 | $431.00 | $150.85–$379.28 | 40% | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Boone Hospital Center Columbia, MO · (573) 815-8000 ED LEVEL 1 MINIMAL | $280.80 | $468.00 | — | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $258.60, median $269.70, highest $280.80 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $269.70. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is not below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This is the lowest of five emergency department visit levels, used for a minor problem that needs little care. Since 2023 this level may apply even when no physician or similar clinician needs to see the patient. The level is assigned after the visit: doctors pick it by the complexity of their medical decision making, and hospitals pick the facility level by the care and resources used, so a patient cannot choose it in advance.
What the price covers
The hospital price for this code is the facility fee for the ER visit. The emergency physician bills separately, and lab tests, imaging, medicines and procedures are added on top.