Critical care (first hour) cost in Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 25 hospitals list a cash price for critical care, first 30 to 74 minutes: from $403.50 to $10,295.10, with a median of $1,876.80. The lowest listed price is at Virtua Willingboro Hospital and 4 other hospitals — $1,473.30 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $1,876.80 at 93 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,876.80, is 7% below the US median of $2,018.81.
- That is 2.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($843.92).
- Philadelphia, PA has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 7 of 25 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 21 cities for code 99291, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 26, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 31, 2025 and Sep 21, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtua Willingboro Hospital lowest Willinboro, NJ · (609) 835-2900 HC Emergency - Critical Care Service File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $403.50 | $4,035.00 | $884.04–$4,500.00 | 90% |
| Virtua West Jersey Hospital - Marlton lowest Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Emergency - Critical Care Service File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $403.50 | $4,035.00 | $884.04–$4,500.00 | 90% |
| Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes lowest Camden, NJ · (856) 886-5373 HC Emergency - Critical Care Service File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $403.50 | $4,035.00 | $884.04–$4,500.00 | 90% |
| Virtua Memorial Hospital lowest Mount Holly, NJ · (609) 267-0700 HC Emergency - Critical Care Service File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $403.50 | $4,035.00 | $884.04–$4,500.00 | 90% |
| Virtua West Jersey Hospital - Voorhees lowest Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Emergency - Critical Care Service+1 more line at this price File of Jun 1, 2026 · source file | $403.50 | $4,035.00 | $884.04–$4,500.00 | 90% |
| Lower Bucks Hospital Bristol, PA · (215) 785-9200 Hc Critical Care, E/M 30-74 Minutes File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $812.00 | $5,616.00 | $334.00–$4,492.80 | 86% |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Critical Care, E/M 30-74 Minutes File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $844.00 | $7,020.00 | $334.00–$6,809.40 | 88% |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $1,066.65 | $1,641.00 | $227.45–$2,294.69 | 35% |
| Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center Meadowbrook, PA · (215) 947-3000 Critical Care E & M 30-74min - ER File of Sep 21, 2026 · source file | $1,396.68 | $2,327.79 | $236.00–$1,792.40 | 40% |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Critical Care First Hour File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,876.80 | $4,692.00 | — | 60% |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Critical Care First Hour File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,876.80 | $4,692.00 | — | 60% |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Critical Care First Hour File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,876.80 | $4,692.00 | — | 60% |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Critical Care First Hour File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,876.80 | $4,692.00 | — | 60% |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $2,224.95 | $3,423.00 | $227.45–$3,354.54 | 35% |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $2,585.05 | $3,977.00 | $151.63–$3,778.15 | 35% |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Partial Trauma W/O Pre Notification Critical Care File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $3,028.35 | $4,659.00 | $305.83–$4,472.64 | 35% |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Trauma Evaluation W/O Pre Notification Critical Care File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $3,040.05 | $4,677.00 | $305.83–$4,489.92 | 35% |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $3,068.00 | $4,720.00 | $305.83–$4,531.20 | 35% |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 ED SERVICES LEVEL 6/CRIT CARE+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,717.38 | $3,717.38 | — | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ · (856) 363-1000 Critical Care First 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,829.20 | $3,829.20 | $696.84–$4,105.00 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ Critical Care First 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,829.20 | $3,829.20 | $645.22–$4,105.00 | — |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ Critical Care First 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,829.20 | $3,829.20 | $659.20–$4,105.00 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 Critical Care First 30-74 Minutes File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,829.20 | $3,829.20 | $696.84–$4,105.00 | — |
| Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 ED Visit 6-Critical Care+1 more line at this price File of Mar 10, 2026 · source file | $5,341.00 | $5,341.00 | — | — |
| The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 590-1000 Critical Care 30-74 Mins File of Dec 31, 2025 · source file | $7,909.02 | $7,909.02 | $204.70–$7,118.12 | — |
| St Luke's Hospital - Grand View Campus Sellersville, PA · (215) 453-4000 HB CRITICAL CARE FIRST HOUR File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $10,295.10 | $11,439.00 | $181.96–$17,437.45 | 10% |
| St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks Campus Quakertown, PA · (267) 985-1000 HB CRITICAL CARE FIRST HOUR File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $10,295.10 | $11,439.00 | $151.63–$9,473.78 | 10% |
Outpatient: lowest $403.50, median $1,876.80, highest $10,295.10 — a 25.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $3,028.35. 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 17 of 19 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 5 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 critical care (first hour) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Critical care (first hour) explained.