Critical care (first hour) cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 16 hospitals list a cash price for critical care, first 30 to 74 minutes: from $949.00 to $5,416.31, with a median of $2,535.00. The lowest listed price is at Jefferson Medical Center — $1,586.00 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $3,604.98 at 3 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,535.00, is 26% above the US median of $2,018.81.
- That is 3.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($843.92).
- 3 of 16 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 99291, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 and Sep 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Medical Center lowest Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 CRITICAL CARE FIRST HOUR File of Jul 12, 2026 · source file | $949.00 | $1,898.00 | $25.00 | 50% |
| Mary Washington Hospital Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Critical care first hour File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $1,240.50 | $2,481.00 | $299.00–$5,302.00 | 50% |
| Stafford Hospital Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Critical care first hour File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $1,240.50 | $2,481.00 | $299.00–$5,302.00 | 50% |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $1,774.00 | $4,435.00 | $5,213.00 | 60% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 CRIT EM VISIT LVL 6 File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,282.36 | $3,511.32 | $983.17–$3,160.19 | 35% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC E&M CC 30-74MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,535.00 | $5,070.00 | $842.61–$6,256.22 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC E&M CC 30-74MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,535.00 | $5,070.00 | $842.61–$6,256.22 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC E&M CC 30-74MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,535.00 | $5,070.00 | $842.61–$6,256.22 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC E&M CC 30-74MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,535.00 | $5,070.00 | $842.61–$6,256.22 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC E&M CC 30-74MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,535.00 | $5,070.00 | $842.61–$6,256.22 | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Ed Critical Care 30-74 Minutes File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,661.00 | $5,322.00 | — | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 CRIT EM VISIT LVL 6+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,604.98 | $5,546.13 | $962.00–$4,714.21 | 35% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 ER SERV LEVEL 6(CRIT CARE) File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $3,837.50 | $7,675.00 | $296.56–$5,665.00 | 50% |
| Reston Hospital Center Reston, VA · (703) 689-9000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,742.71 | $4,742.71 | $1,327.96–$4,268.44 | — |
| Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 498-4000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,790.88 | $4,790.88 | $1,341.45–$4,311.79 | — |
| Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · (571) 349-4000 Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $5,416.31 | $5,416.31 | $1,689.89–$6,011.00 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $949.00, median $2,535.00, highest $5,416.31 — a 5.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $2,535.00. 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 12 of 15 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 critical care (first hour) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Critical care (first hour) explained.