Level 1 ER visit cost in Columbus, OH — inpatient
In Columbus, OH, 16 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor as an inpatient: from $50.00 to $437.45, with a median of $403.65. The lowest listed price is at Mount Carmel Grove City and 1 other hospital — $353.65 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $292.80 at 81 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 10 cities for code 99281, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 22, 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 Columbus, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel Grove City lowest Grove City, OH PR Emergency Dept Visit May Not Require Presence of Phys/Qhp | $50.00 | $50.00 | $7.03–$50.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's lowest Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 PR Emergency Dept Visit May Not Require Presence of Phys/Qhp | $50.00 | $50.00 | $7.03–$50.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Morrow County Hospital Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 Emergency department visit for problem that may not require health care professional | $168.29 | $258.90 | $27.09–$251.13 | 35% | Oct 22, 2025 source file |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 99281-LEVEL 1 | $234.00 | $260.00 | $169.00–$254.80 | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Er Level I | $352.95 | $543.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC ED Type a Level 1 | $403.65 | $621.00 | $70.13–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC ED Type a Level 1 OB Triage | $403.65 | $621.00 | $70.13–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $403.65 | $621.00 | $70.13–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$621.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC ED Type a Level 1 OB Triage | $403.65 | $621.00 | $70.13–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $403.65 | $621.00 | $70.13–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $403.65 | $621.00 | $70.13–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC ED Type a Level 1 OB Triage | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $403.65 | $621.00 | $71.48–$621.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Er Level I | $408.20 | $628.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH Hc Er Level I | $437.45 | $673.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Er Level I | $437.45 | $673.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH Hc Er Level I | $437.45 | $673.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Er Level I | $437.45 | $673.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Er Level I | $437.45 | $673.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Er Level I | $437.45 | $673.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $50.00, median $403.65, highest $437.45 — a 8.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $403.65 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 6 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. 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.