Critical care (first hour) cost in Columbus, OH
In Columbus, OH, 20 hospitals list a cash price for critical care, first 30 to 74 minutes: from $1,453.92 to $5,166.85, with a median of $3,766.10. The lowest listed price is at Morrow County Hospital — $2,312.18 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $2,937.75 at 110 hospitals.
- The median here, $3,766.10, is 86% above the US median of $2,019.93.
- That is 4.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($843.92).
- Columbus, OH ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Ohio by median, cheapest first.
- 2 of 20 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 20 facilities across 14 cities for code 99291, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 22, 2025 and Jul 31, 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 Columbus, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morrow County Hospital lowest Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 Critical care, first 30-74 minutes File of Oct 22, 2025 · source file | $1,453.92 | $2,236.80 | $84.46–$2,169.70 | 35% |
| Galion Community Hospital Galion, OH · (419) 468-4841 HC EMERGENCY ROOM CRITICAL CARE File of Mar 20, 2026 · source file | $1,898.90 | $2,234.00 | $759.56–$2,055.28 | 15% |
| Fairfield Medical Center Lancaster, OH · (740) 687-8000 99291 - Level 6 File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $2,467.80 | $5,484.00 | $716.82–$5,484.00 | 55% |
| Licking Memorial Hospital Newark, OH · (740) 348-4000 HC Critical Care, E/M 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 16, 2026 · source file | $2,503.70 | $2,503.70 | $780.54–$2,503.70 | — |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,058.90 | $4,706.00 | — | 35% |
| Hocking Valley Community Hospital Logan, OH · (740) 380-8000 HC Emergency Room Critical Care File of Jul 31, 2026 · source file | $3,126.00 | $3,126.00 | — | — |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,308.50 | $5,090.00 | — | 35% |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,766.10 | $5,794.00 | — | 35% |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,766.10 | $5,794.00 | — | 35% |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,766.10 | $5,794.00 | — | 35% |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,766.10 | $5,794.00 | — | 35% |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,766.10 | $5,794.00 | — | 35% |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Critical Care First 30 To 74 Min File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,766.10 | $5,794.00 | — | 35% |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 99291-TEAM CRIT CARE FIRST 30-74 MINS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,095.00 | $4,550.00 | $2,957.50–$4,459.00 | 10% |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $5,166.85 | $7,949.00 | $632.00–$8,117.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $5,166.85 | $7,949.00 | $632.00–$8,117.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $5,166.85 | $7,949.00 | $700.18–$8,117.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $5,166.85 | $7,949.00 | $632.00–$8,117.00 | 35% |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $5,166.85 | $7,949.00 | $632.00–$8,117.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $5,166.85 | $7,949.00 | $632.00–$8,117.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Trauma Evaluation W/O Pre Notification Critical Care File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $9,625.85 | $14,809.00 | $632.00–$14,809.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Partial Trauma W/O Pre Notification Critical Care File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $12,992.85 | $19,989.00 | $632.00–$19,989.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Full Trauma W/O Pre Notification Critical Care File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $14,247.35 | $21,919.00 | $632.00–$21,919.00 | 35% |
Outpatient: lowest $1,453.92, median $3,766.10, highest $5,166.85 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 19 facilities here, median $3,766.10. 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 10 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 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 critical care (first hour) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Critical care (first hour) explained.