Doctor visits and therapy CPT 99281 Outpatient

Level 1 ER visit cost in Fond du Lac, WI

In Fond du Lac, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $36.40 to $62.50, with a median of $49.45. The lowest listed price is at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton — $13.05 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $110.50 at 78 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 21, 2025 and Nov 21, 2025.

Lowest$36.40ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton
Median$49.45half pay less
Highest$62.50in this market
Difference1.7×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Fond du Lac, WI.

median
Lowest $36.40Highest $235.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton lowest Fond Du Lac, WI HC Prof ER - Level I $36.40 $65.00 $29.90–$81.84 44% —
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ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC PROF ER - LEVEL I $49.28 $88.00 $29.90–$81.84 44% —
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ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI EMERGENCY DEPT VISIT,LEVEL I $49.28 $88.00 $180.00–$503.00 44% —
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Aurora Medical Center Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac, WI ED TRIAGE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT $62.50 $125.00 $75.00–$2,200.00 50% Nov 21, 2025
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Aurora Medical Center Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac, WI MEDICAL SCREENING UP TO 1 HR $97.50 $195.00 $117.00–$2,200.00 50% Nov 21, 2025
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ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC Emergency Dept Visit,Level I $147.28 $263.00 $180.00–$503.00 44% —
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ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC EMERGENCY DEPT VISIT,LEVEL I $154.00 $275.00 $180.00–$503.00 44% —
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Aurora Medical Center Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac, WI ED LEVEL 1 $175.00 $350.00 $210.00–$2,200.00 50% Nov 21, 2025
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Aurora Medical Center Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac, WI ED DOA $200.00 $400.00 $240.00–$2,200.00 50% Nov 21, 2025
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Aurora Medical Center Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac, WI FORENSIC NURSE EXAM 1 $235.00 $470.00 $282.00–$2,200.00 50% Nov 21, 2025
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Outpatient: lowest $36.40, median $49.45, highest $62.50 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $62.50. 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 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.