Doctor visits and therapy CPT 99281 Outpatient

Level 1 ER visit cost in Lexington, NE

In Lexington, NE, 3 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $79.00 to $173.76, with a median of $113.00. The lowest listed price is at Cozad Community Hospital — $34.00 less than the median here. Across Nebraska, the median is $152.46 at 42 hospitals.

Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 cities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 28, 2025 and Dec 28, 2025.

Lowest$79.00Cozad Community Hospital
Median$113.00half pay less
Highest$173.76in this market
Difference2.2×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 Lexington, NE.

median
Lowest $79.00Highest $249.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Cozad Community Hospital lowest Cozad, NE · (308) 784-2261 Er Phys-focused 25 Modifier $79.00 $88.00 $80.00–$88.00 10% —
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Cozad Community Hospital lowest Cozad, NE · (308) 784-2261 Er Phys-focused $79.00 $88.00 $10.00–$88.00 10% —
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Gothenburg Health Gothenburg, NE · (308) 537-3661 Physicians Fee I Ed Charge $113.00 $126.00 $10.00–$121.00 10% —
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Lexington Regional Health Center Lexington, NE · (308) 324-5651 99281 Level 1 - ED Visit $173.76 $181.00 $90.50–$181.00 4% Dec 28, 2025
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Gothenburg Health Gothenburg, NE · (308) 537-3661 99281 Fac Ed Level 1 -Room Charge $211.00 $234.00 $144.00–$225.00 10% —
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Lexington Regional Health Center Lexington, NE · (308) 324-5651 99281 ED VISIT FOR E&M PATIENT, LEV 1, MAY NOT REQ PRESENCE OF P $244.80 $255.00 $127.50–$255.00 4% Dec 28, 2025
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Cozad Community Hospital Cozad, NE · (308) 784-2261 Emergency Rm 25 Focused $249.00 $277.00 $155.00–$277.00 10% —
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Cozad Community Hospital Cozad, NE · (308) 784-2261 Emergency Rm Focused $249.00 $277.00 $155.00–$277.00 10% —
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Outpatient: lowest $79.00, median $113.00, highest $173.76 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.

Cash or insurance?

At 3 of 3 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.