Level 1 ER visit cost in Los Angeles, CA — inpatient
In Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 26 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 $183.40 to $2,399.83, with a median of $405.46. The lowest listed price is at Saint John's Health Center — $222.06 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $420.68 at 98 hospitals.
Cash prices at 26 facilities across 19 cities for code 99281, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 26, 2025 and Jul 27, 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint John's Health Center lowest Santa Monica, CA · (310) 829-5511 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $183.40 | $524.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Fountain Valley Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 ER VISIT LVL I | $227.20 | $568.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Placentia Linda Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 ER VISIT LVL I | $227.20 | $568.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Los Alamitos Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 ER VISIT LVL I | $227.20 | $568.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 HB EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $227.20 | $568.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Fountain Valley Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 OB ER VISIT LVL I | $227.20 | $568.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Cedars Sinai Tarzana Medical Center Tarzana, CA · (818) 881-0800 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $234.50 | $670.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance Torrance, CA · (310) 540-7676 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $245.00 | $700.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Little Co of Mary Medical Center San Pedro San Pedro, CA · (310) 832-3311 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $245.00 | $700.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| USC Arcadia Hospital Arcadia, CA · (626) 898-8000 EMERGENCY SERVICE LEVEL 1 | $288.05 | $823.00 | $617.25–$823.00 | 65% | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
| USC Arcadia Hospital Arcadia, CA · (626) 898-8000 COURTESY EMERGENCY SERVICE | $288.05 | $823.00 | $617.25–$823.00 | 65% | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Lakewood Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 ER VISIT LVL I | $291.60 | $729.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Burbank, CA · (818) 843-5111 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $329.70 | $942.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Mission Hills, CA · (818) 365-8051 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $380.80 | $1,088.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mission Hospital Regional Med Center Mission Viejo, CA · (949) 364-1400 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $390.24 | $813.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Panorama City Panorama City, CA · (818) 375-2000 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Downey Downey, CA · (562) 461-6007 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Anaheim Anaheim, CA · (714) 279-4000 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay Harbor City, CA · (310) 325-5111 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Baldwin Park Baldwin Park, CA · (626) 851-1011 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Irvine Irvine, CA "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - West la Los Angeles, CA · (213) 857-2201 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Woodland Hills Woodland Hills, CA · (818) 719-3800 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · (323) 783-4011 "FACILITY USE-EMERGENCY ROOM, LEVEL 1" | $420.68 | $809.00 | $187.00–$555.00 | 48% | — source file |
| St Joseph Hospital of Orange Orange, CA · (714) 633-9111 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $434.88 | $906.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital Marina del Rey, CA · (310) 823-8911 HB ED FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $487.71 | $750.32 | $109.64–$9,712.00 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| St Jude Hospital Fullerton, CA · (714) 992-3000 HC ED FAC E&M VISIT LEVEL 1 CDM | $636.48 | $1,326.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 HB ED FACILITY LEVEL 1 | $2,399.83 | $3,692.05 | $109.64–$14,761.00 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $183.40, median $405.46, highest $2,399.83 — a 13.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 29 facilities here, median $380.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 12 of 12 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.