Level 1 ER visit cost in Oklahoma City, OK
In Oklahoma City, OK, 5 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $61.50 to $534.95, with a median of $210.98. The lowest listed price is at OU Health - University of Oklahoma Medical Center|Oklahoma Childrens Hospital| OU Health Edmond Medical Center — $149.48 less than the median here. Across Oklahoma, the median is $141.62 at 25 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 2 cities 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 Mar 27, 2026 and Mar 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 Oklahoma City, OK.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OU Health - University of Oklahoma Medical Center|Oklahoma Childrens Hospital| OU Health Edmond Medical Center lowest Oklahoma City, OK EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT FOR PROBLEM OF MILD SEVERITY | $61.50 | $615.00 | $80.70–$1,500.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Logan County Guthrie, OK · (405) 282-6700 ED Visit Care Level 1 Mlp | $84.50 | $130.00 | $10.47–$129.23 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Logan County Guthrie, OK · (405) 282-6700 ED Visit Care Level 1 Pf | $99.45 | $153.00 | $10.47–$129.23 | 35% | — source file |
| Oklahoma Heart Hospital Oklahoma City, OK · (405) 608-3200 HC Emergency Department Level 1 Visit Limited/Minor Prob | $210.98 | $602.80 | $75.93–$2,377.83 | 65% | Mar 27, 2026 source file |
| Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Oklahoma City, OK · (405) 628-6000 HC Emergency Department Level 1 Visit Limited/Minor Prob | $210.98 | $602.80 | $75.93–$4,733.08 | 65% | Mar 27, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Logan County Guthrie, OK · (405) 282-6700 ED Visit Care Level 1 | $277.55 | $427.00 | $78.41–$129.23 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, OK · (405) 755-1515 ED Visit Care Level 1 | $534.95 | $823.00 | $78.41–$107.69 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $61.50, median $210.98, highest $534.95 — a 8.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $210.98. 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 4 of 5 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 99281 ($206.40). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| OU Health - University of Oklahoma Medical Center|Oklahoma Childrens Hospital| OU Health Edmond Medical Center Oklahoma City, OKEMR DPT VST MAYX REQ PHY/QHP | $10.57 | file |