Level 3 ER visit cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 7 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 3 of 5, low-complexity problem: from $122.40 to $1,400.00, with a median of $535.50. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center Brighton and 2 other hospitals — $413.10 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $709.25 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 99283, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center Brighton lowest Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 Emergency Department Visit Moderate Severity | $122.40 | $272.00 | $95.20–$1,099.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center lowest Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 Emergency Department Visit Moderate Severity | $122.40 | $272.00 | $61.34–$850.69 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 Emergency Department Visit Moderate Severity | $122.40 | $272.00 | $125.00–$1,022.88 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Emergency Department Visit Which Requires a Medically Appropriate History and/or Examination and Low Level of Medical Decision Making | $440.43 | $978.73 | $125.00–$1,022.88 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Emergency Department Visit Which Requires a Medically Appropriate History and/or Examination and Low Level of Medical Decision Making | $483.60 | $1,074.67 | $178.39–$1,099.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Emergency Department Level 3 Visit Low Mdm | $535.50 | $765.00 | $267.75–$1,559.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Emergency Department Level 3 Visit Low Mdm | $560.00 | $800.00 | $201.39–$1,155.97 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Emergency Department Visit Which Requires a Medically Appropriate History and/or Examination and Low Level of Medical Decision Making | $650.70 | $1,446.00 | $178.39–$1,302.10 | 55% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Emergency Department Level 3 Visit Low Mdm | $910.00 | $1,300.00 | $341.38–$1,542.68 | 30% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC ED Visit Level 3 Attending | $1,400.00 | $1,400.00 | $205.15–$1,400.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $122.40, median $535.50, highest $1,400.00 — a 11.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $535.50. 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 6 of 7 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 middle of five emergency department visit levels, used for a problem of low complexity, for example one that needs a few basic tests. 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.