Cost of a ER Visit (High) Visit
in Louisiana
Reviewed by Momentary Medical Group West PC
Louisiana's emergency departments handle over 1.8 million visits annually, with high-severity cases representing the most resource-intensive treatments in the state's healthcare system. Patients requiring ER Visit (High) services typically pay between $97.50 and $535.50, with a median out-of-pocket cost of $150.07 based on negotiated insurance rates. Louisiana maintains over 4,550 active emergency medicine providers across its 64 parishes, allowing patients to browse all providers in Louisiana for urgent care needs.
Average
$261
Median
$150
Lowest
$98
Highest
$536
Providers
4,554
38% above national average
Compare Similar Procedures
How does er visit (high severity) compare to related procedures in Louisiana?
| Procedure | CPT | Low | Median | High | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ER Visit (Low Severity) Emergency department visit, low severity | 99283 | $40 | $61 | $87 | 2,623 |
| ER Visit (Moderate Severity) Emergency department visit, moderate severity | 99284 | $62 | $101 | $150 | 2,771 |
Important: These are cost estimates only — not a quote and not medical advice.
The prices on this page are self-pay rates, drawn from federal Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files (CPT 99285 — Emergency department visit, high severity). They represent what a patient might pay without insurance.
Your actual cost depends on: your specific insurance plan, your remaining deductible, your coinsurance percentage, whether you have met your out-of-pocket maximum, whether the facility and provider are both in-network, and any separate anesthesia or implant fees billed independently.
This page does not constitute medical advice. Whether you need this procedure, and which approach is right for you, is a decision to make with a licensed healthcare provider.
Where this data comes from & what CPT 99285 covers
Data source: Cost figures are derived from UnitedHealthcare Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files for CPT code 99285 (Emergency department visit, high severity), as mandated by the CMS Price Transparency Rule.
What CPT 99285 covers: the provider's professional fee for er visit (high severity). It does not include facility/hospital fees, anesthesia, pre-operative imaging, post-operative care, or any add-on codes billed separately.
How to read this data
Negotiated Rate
The discounted price an insurer has agreed to pay a specific provider. Most insured patients' bills are calculated from this number, not the higher list price hospitals publish separately.
P5, Median, P95
P5 is the rate at the 5th percentile (low end), Median is the middle value, and P95 is the 95th percentile (high end). This range shows how much the same visit can vary between providers.
What this does not tell you
These rates do not tell you what you personally will pay out of pocket. That depends on your specific plan, how much of your deductible you have already met, your coinsurance rate, and whether the provider is in your network. Call your insurer's member line to get your exact estimate.
Top-Rated Hospitals in Louisiana
These hospitals in Louisiana are top-rated for patient satisfaction. Review data sourced from HCAHPS Patient Survey.
COLUMBIA, LA
COVINGTON, LA
LAFAYETTE, LA
ALEXANDRIA, LA
BATON ROUGE, LA
Hospital ratings are based on HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey data published by CMS.
Why ER Visit (High) Visit Costs Vary Across Louisiana
Louisiana's emergency care costs run approximately 1% above national averages, reflecting the state's unique mix of academic medical centers, rural critical access hospitals, and post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilt facilities. The concentration of major trauma centers in New Orleans and Baton Rouge creates cost disparities with rural parishes that rely on smaller emergency departments.
Urban vs. Rural Provider Availability
Louisiana's geography creates significant access challenges with major emergency departments concentrated in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport while rural parishes often depend on critical access hospitals with limited high-severity capabilities. Rural patients frequently require costly transfers to urban trauma centers, adding transport costs and delays to emergency care. The state's numerous small parishes and waterway barriers can extend emergency transport times, affecting both costs and outcomes.
Facility Type and Overhead Costs
Hospital-based emergency departments dominate Louisiana's emergency care landscape, with major health systems like Ochsner Health, LCMC Health, and Our Lady of the Lake operating high-volume facilities with significant overhead costs. Academic medical centers including LSU Health Sciences Center and Tulane maintain teaching hospitals with research missions that can inflate facility fees. Independent emergency centers have gained traction in suburban areas, often offering lower facility fees than traditional hospital emergency departments.
Insurance Market Competition in Louisiana
Louisiana's insurance market features moderate competition with BCBS Louisiana holding significant market share alongside national players like UHC and Aetna. The state's smaller population and concentrated provider networks can limit insurer negotiating power compared to larger states. Hurricane recovery investments and coastal facility hardening costs contribute to higher negotiated rates for emergency services across southeastern Louisiana.
Physician Supply and Demand in Louisiana
Louisiana maintains over 4,550 active emergency medicine providers serving approximately 4.6 million residents, indicating adequate supply in urban areas but potential shortages in rural parishes. The state's medical school training programs help maintain emergency physician supply, though retention in rural areas remains challenging due to lifestyle and compensation factors. Physician supply concentrations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge can drive competitive pricing in these markets while rural shortages may elevate costs in outlying areas.
Jayant Panwar
CEO, Momentary Labs · San Francisco, CA
Jayant has analyzed healthcare pricing data from CMS Transparency in Coverage files since 2022, covering more than 50 million negotiated rate records across all 50 states. His work focuses on making insurer machine-readable files accessible to patients and researchers.
The cost figures on this page reflect his ongoing work to make this data accessible to patients.
Frequently Asked Questions — ER Visit (High) Costs in Louisiana
What is the average cost of a ER Visit (High) visit in Louisiana without insurance?
Does Louisiana Medicaid cover ER Visit (High) visits?
How do I find an affordable ER Visit (High) near me in Louisiana?
What is the difference in cost between an initial consultation and a follow-up visit?
Can I use an HSA or FSA to pay for a ER Visit (High) visit in Louisiana?
How does telemedicine affect the cost of seeing a ER Visit (High) in Louisiana?
Click a state to compare costs
Average Visit Cost
Office visit (CPT 99285)
Compare With Other States
| Rank | State | Average↓ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin Range: $73 – $940 | $430 |
| 2 | New Hampshire Range: $150 – $446 | $294 |
| 3 | Illinois Range: $80 – $569 | $285 |
| 4 | Iowa Range: $85 – $538 | $275 |
| 5 | Louisiana Range: $98 – $536 | $261 |
| 6 | New York Range: $80 – $543 | $260 |
| 7 | Maine Range: $170 – $337 | $251 |
| 8 | Nebraska Range: $123 – $422 | $236 |
| 9 | Washington Range: $80 – $379 | $224 |
| 10 | Colorado Range: $80 – $390 | $219 |
| 11 | New Mexico Range: $88 – $389 | $218 |
| 12 | Wyoming Range: $88 – $385 | $217 |
| 13 | Vermont Range: $98 – $356 | $216 |
| 14 | Rhode Island Range: $80 – $429 | $202 |
| 15 | Massachusetts Range: $80 – $428 | $202 |
| 16 | Georgia Range: $85 – $333 | $198 |
| 17 | North Carolina Range: $80 – $330 | $188 |
| 18 | District of Columbia Range: $85 – $305 | $185 |
| 19 | Maryland Range: $88 – $298 | $183 |
| 20 | Michigan Range: $80 – $318 | $183 |
| 21 | Utah Range: $80 – $317 | $182 |
| 22 | New Jersey Range: $60 – $348 | $182 |
| 23 | Ohio Range: $85 – $287 | $181 |
| 24 | Mississippi Range: $126 – $250 | $181 |
| 25 | California Range: $80 – $374 | $181 |
| 26 | Hawaii Range: $80 – $313 | $179 |
| 27 | Arkansas Range: $85 – $282 | $178 |
| 28 | Virginia Range: $88 – $293 | $177 |
| 29 | Tennessee Range: $85 – $259 | $170 |
| 30 | South Carolina Range: $80 – $287 | $170 |
| 31 | Missouri Range: $88 – $239 | $168 |
| 32 | Minnesota Range: $91 – $312 | $167 |
| 33 | Oklahoma Range: $85 – $246 | $166 |
| 34 | Kansas Range: $88 – $243 | $166 |
| 35 | Alabama Range: $80 – $257 | $160 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania Range: $55 – $334 | $159 |
| 37 | Arizona Range: $80 – $250 | $157 |
| 38 | Indiana Range: $85 – $298 | $157 |
| 39 | West Virginia Range: $88 – $281 | $155 |
| 40 | Delaware Range: $85 – $203 | $155 |
| 41 | Kentucky Range: $80 – $296 | $155 |
| 42 | Nevada Range: $85 – $267 | $154 |
| 43 | Alaska Range: $80 – $292 | $151 |
| 44 | Connecticut Range: $55 – $320 | $148 |
| 45 | Idaho Range: $80 – $275 | $148 |
| 46 | Oregon Range: $80 – $250 | $142 |
| 47 | Texas Range: $80 – $257 | $142 |
| 48 | Montana Range: $80 – $213 | $124 |
| 49 | North Dakota Range: $91 – $177 | $122 |
| 50 | South Dakota Range: $98 – $161 | $119 |
| 51 | Florida Range: $35 – $246 | $114 |