Critical care (first hour) cost in Charleston, SC
In Charleston-North Charleston, SC, 5 hospitals list a cash price for critical care, first 30 to 74 minutes: from $2,834.00 to $3,214.90, with a median of $3,214.90. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Medical Center — $380.90 less than the median here. Across South Carolina, the median is $2,519.00 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 cities for code 99291, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Medical Center lowest Charleston, SC · (843) 792-2300 HB ER VISIT CRITICAL CARE | $2,834.00 | $5,668.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Roper St Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital Mount Pleasant, SC HC E/M Crit Care,ER, 1st 30-74min | $3,214.90 | $4,946.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
| Roper St Francis Hospital Berkeley Summerville, SC · (854) 529-3002 HC E/M Crit Care,ER, 1st 30-74min | $3,214.90 | $4,946.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
| Bon Secours St Francis Xavier Hospital Charleston, SC · (843) 402-1006 HC E/M Crit Care,ER, 1st 30-74min | $3,214.90 | $4,946.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
| Roper Hospital Charleston, SC · (843) 724-2800 HC E/M Crit Care,ER, 1st 30-74min | $3,214.90 | $4,946.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $2,834.00, median $3,214.90, highest $3,214.90 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $3,214.90. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
What it is
This code bills care for a life-threatening illness or injury for the first 30 to 74 minutes. It appears on emergency department bills after serious cases and in intensive care.
What the price covers
The price is the hospital's charge. Additional half hours use 99292, and the doctor bills separately.