Level 5 ER visit cost in St. Louis, MO — inpatient
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 7 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 5 of 5, high-complexity problem as an inpatient: from $371.25 to $5,155.55, with a median of $1,656.00. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Lincoln and 1 other hospital — $1,284.75 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $619.45 at 29 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 7 cities for code 99285, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jun 12, 2026 and Jun 12, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Emergency Department Visit High Mdm | $371.25 | $495.00 | $247.50–$445.50 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities lowest Washington, MO Emergency Department Visit High Mdm | $371.25 | $495.00 | $247.50–$420.75 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Emergency Department Visit High Mdm | $371.25 | $495.00 | $247.50–$445.50 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Emergency Department Visit High Mdm | $371.25 | $495.00 | $247.50–$445.50 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Emergency Department Visit High Mdm | $371.25 | $495.00 | $247.50–$445.50 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Emergency Department Visit High Mdm | $371.25 | $495.00 | $247.50–$445.50 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC ER LEVEL 5 | $1,280.16 | $1,778.00 | $497.84–$1,778.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC ER LEVEL 5 | $1,656.00 | $2,300.00 | $460.00–$2,300.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC ER LEVEL 5 SANE | $1,707.12 | $2,371.00 | $634.24–$2,371.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC ER LEVEL 5 | $1,874.88 | $2,604.00 | $638.18–$2,604.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC ER LEVEL 5 | $3,126.24 | $4,342.00 | $634.24–$4,342.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 COMPREHENSIVE ED VST | $5,155.55 | $8,592.58 | $8,592.58 | 40% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $371.25, median $1,656.00, highest $5,155.55 — a 13.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $1,208.51 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 7 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 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.