Level 1 ER visit cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 20 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $57.60 to $639.60, with a median of $231.30. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Jameson — $173.70 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $304.05 at 95 hospitals.
- The median here, $231.30, is 4% above the US median of $222.62.
- That is 2.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($86.15).
- Pittsburgh, PA has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 20 facilities across 15 cities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 10, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Jameson lowest New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 ACUITY LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $57.60 | $96.00 | $51.26–$356.00 | 40% |
| Advanced Surgical Hospital Washington, PA · (724) 884-0710 EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT LEVEL 1 File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file | $85.35 | $319.00 | $80.79–$162.94 | 73% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA LEVEL I ED MINOR+1 more line at this price File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $109.80 | $366.00 | $17.81–$366.00 | 70% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA Emerg Visit Level 1 0-20 File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $140.00 | $200.00 | $37.40–$210.00 | 30% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT FOR PROBLEM OF MILD SEVERITY File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $163.00 | $326.00 | $21.00–$798.00 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 EMR DPT VST MAYX REQ PHY/QHP File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $182.50 | $365.00 | $21.00–$798.00 | 50% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC ACUITY LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $183.60 | $306.00 | $51.60–$407.30 | 40% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 99281 EMR CATEGORY 1 File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $184.20 | $307.00 | $22.00–$245.60 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 99281 EMR CATEGORY 1 File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $184.20 | $307.00 | $77.13–$187.57 | 40% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 99281 EMR CATEGORY 1 File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $184.20 | $307.00 | $22.00–$245.60 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC ACUITY LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $223.80 | $373.00 | $51.60–$378.38 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 ACUITY LEVEL 1 NON EMERGENT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $238.80 | $398.00 | $51.60–$427.09 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 ACUITY LEVEL 1 NON EMERGENT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $260.40 | $434.00 | $51.60–$427.09 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 ACUITY LEVEL 1 NON EMERGENT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $260.40 | $434.00 | $51.60–$368.90 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 ACUITY LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $300.00 | $500.00 | $52.16–$450.00 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 ACUITY LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $308.40 | $514.00 | $52.16–$464.52 | 40% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC ED VISIT LEVEL 1 NON EMERGENT+1 more line at this price File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $365.75 | $475.00 | $9.31–$296.23 | 23% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 ACUITY LEVEL 1 NON EMERGENT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $383.40 | $639.00 | $61.46–$575.10 | 40% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC ED VISIT LEVEL 1+1 more line at this price File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $406.62 | $502.00 | $9.31–$296.23 | 19% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 ER BRIEF TREATMENT File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $639.60 | $1,066.00 | $359.24–$831.48 | 40% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 EMERGENCY ROOM LEVEL 1 File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $639.60 | $1,066.00 | $286.75–$1,306.38 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $57.60, median $231.30, highest $639.60 — a 11.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 21 facilities here, median $260.40. 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 18 of 20 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 level 1 ER visit is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Level 1 ER visit explained.