Critical care (first hour) cost in San Jose, CA — inpatient
In San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for critical care, first 30 to 74 minutes as an inpatient: from $834.00 to $5,909.68, with a median of $5,061.09. The lowest listed price is at Stanford Health Care — $4,227.09 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $5,487.56 at 98 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 99291, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . 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 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Health Care lowest Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Critical Care/Eval/Mgtmt; First 30-74 Minutes | $834.00 | $1,668.00 | $212.80–$1,319.63 | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care lowest Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Critical Care/Eval/Mgtmt; First 30-74 Minutes | $834.00 | $1,668.00 | $212.80–$1,668.00 | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| El Camino Hospital Mountain View, CA · (650) 940-7000 HC EMERGNCY SVC-CRITICAL 1ST 74 MIN | $4,212.50 | $16,850.00 | — | 75% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Jose San Jose, CA · (408) 972-7000 CRITICAL CARE ILL/INJURED PATIENT INIT 30-74 MIN | $5,909.68 | $10,553.00 | $6,260.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Santa Clara Santa Clara, CA · (408) 236-6400 CRITICAL CARE ILL/INJURED PATIENT INIT 30-74 MIN | $5,909.68 | $10,553.00 | $6,260.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Critical Care 30-74 Min | $8,314.80 | $20,787.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $834.00, median $5,061.09, highest $5,909.68 — a 7.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $5,061.09 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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 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.