Level 1 ER visit cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $214.83 to $558.00, with a median of $472.08. The lowest listed price is at Hayward Sisters Hospital — $257.25 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $420.68 at 98 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 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 Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 CATEGORYI | $214.83 | $716.10 | $501.27–$1,107.00 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 OB Emergency Care Level 1 Proc | $442.80 | $1,107.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 OB Emergency Care Level 1 | $442.80 | $1,107.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Emergency Care Level 1 | $451.60 | $1,129.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Emergency Care Level 1 Proc | $451.60 | $1,129.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISIT MAY NOT REQ PHYS/QHP | $472.08 | $843.00 | $655.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Chinese Hospital Association San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Emergency department visit for problem that may not require health care professional | $558.00 | $558.00 | $21.77–$1,004.40 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $214.83, median $472.08, highest $558.00 — a 2.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $472.08. 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 11 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 10 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.