Level 1 ER visit cost in Philadelphia, PA — inpatient
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 14 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 $24.00 to $513.00, with a median of $400.00. The lowest listed price is at St Mary Medical Center — $376.00 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $252.60 at 58 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 13 cities for code 99281, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 24, 2026 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary Medical Center lowest Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 PR Emergency Dept Visit May Not Require Presence of Phys/Qhp | $24.00 | $24.00 | $6.00–$24.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $186.55 | $287.00 | $16.19–$1,636.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC ED Type a Level 1 OB Triage | $186.55 | $287.00 | $16.19–$1,636.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $186.55 | $287.00 | $16.19–$1,636.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $195.65 | $301.00 | $24.29–$1,392.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $195.65 | $301.00 | $24.29–$1,392.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 PR Emergency Dept Visit May Not Require Presence of Phys/Qhp | $250.00 | $250.00 | $7.24–$250.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 PR Emergency Dept Visit May Not Require Presence of Phys/Qhp | $250.00 | $250.00 | $7.24–$250.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $260.00 | $400.00 | $24.29–$1,873.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $260.00 | $400.00 | $24.29–$1,873.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC ED Type a Level 1 Sane_Safe | $338.00 | $520.00 | $77.58–$1,663.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC ED Type a Level 1 | $354.90 | $546.00 | $77.58–$1,663.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC ED Type a Level 1 OB Triage | $354.90 | $546.00 | $77.58–$1,663.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Ed E&M Self Limited/Minor | $400.00 | $1,000.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Ed E&M Self Limited/Minor | $400.00 | $1,000.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Ed E&M Self Limited/Minor | $400.00 | $1,000.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital Malvern, PA Hc Ed E&M Self Limited/Minor | $400.00 | $1,000.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Ed E&M Self Limited/Minor | $400.00 | $1,000.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ OBED LEVEL 1 | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ E/R VISIT LEVEL I TYPE A | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ OBED LEVEL 1 | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ E/R VISIT LEVEL I TYPE A | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 OBED LEVEL 1 | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 E/R VISIT LEVEL I TYPE A | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ OBED LEVEL 1 | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ E/R VISIT LEVEL I TYPE A | $507.74 | $507.74 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 ED Visit 1 Minor | $513.00 | $513.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 ED Visit 1 Minor | $513.00 | $513.00 | — | — | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $24.00, median $400.00, highest $513.00 — a 21.4× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 21 facilities here, median $358.77 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 4 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.