Level 5 ER visit cost in Boston, MA — inpatient
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 7 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 5 of 5, high-complexity problem as an inpatient: from $755.08 to $3,000.00, with a median of $1,122.30. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $367.22 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $1,604.75 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 99285, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . 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 South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Emergency Dept Visit Which Requires a Medically Appropriate History and/or Examination and High Level of Medical Decision Making | $755.08 | $1,677.96 | $125.00–$1,656.74 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Emergency Dept Visit Which Requires a Medically Appropriate History and/or Examination and High Level of Medical Decision Making | $868.22 | $1,929.37 | $306.72–$1,781.43 | 55% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Emergency Department Level 5 Visit High Mdm | $991.90 | $1,417.00 | $372.00–$1,559.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Emergency Dept Visit Which Requires a Medically Appropriate History and/or Examination and High Level of Medical Decision Making | $1,122.30 | $2,494.00 | $306.72–$2,119.90 | 55% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Emergency Department Level 5 Visit High Mdm | $1,568.00 | $2,240.00 | $201.39–$2,240.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Emergency Department Level 5 Visit High Mdm | $1,641.50 | $2,345.00 | $431.00–$2,498.66 | 30% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC ED Visit Level 5 Attending | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $260.00–$3,000.00 | — | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $755.08, median $1,122.30, highest $3,000.00 — a 4.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $1,122.30 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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 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 highest of five emergency department visit levels, used for a serious problem that needs complex evaluation and treatment, often with a hospital admission or transfer. 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.