Cost of a ER Visit (High) Visit
in Oregon
Reviewed by Momentary Medical Group West PC
Oregon's healthcare costs run approximately 9% above the national average, reflecting the state's mix of urban medical centers in Portland and Salem alongside rural facilities serving coastal and eastern communities. For a ER Visit (High) visit, patients typically pay between $80 and $250, with a median out-of-pocket cost of $98 based on negotiated insurance rates. With over 1,000 active providers across Oregon's emergency departments, patients can browse all available ER facilities statewide to find the most affordable options.
Average
$142
Median
$98
Lowest
$80
Highest
$250
Providers
1,037
25% below national average
Compare Similar Procedures
How does er visit (high severity) compare to related procedures in Oregon?
| Procedure | CPT | Low | Median | High | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ER Visit (Low Severity) Emergency department visit, low severity | 99283 | $40 | $40 | $108 | 1,015 |
| ER Visit (Moderate Severity) Emergency department visit, moderate severity | 99284 | $62 | $62 | $183 | 1,078 |
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.
Why ER Visit (High) Visit Costs Vary Across Oregon
Oregon's healthcare costs run approximately 9% above the national average, driven by the state's geographic challenges and concentration of major medical centers in urban areas. The state's mix of densely populated metropolitan regions and vast rural territories creates significant cost and access disparities for emergency medical care.
Urban vs. Rural Provider Availability
Portland's metro area concentrates multiple Level I trauma centers and specialty emergency departments, while eastern Oregon's rural counties rely on critical access hospitals with basic emergency capabilities. This geographic divide means high-severity cases in remote areas often require expensive air transport to urban facilities, adding thousands to treatment costs. Rural emergency departments may have lower base rates but limited capabilities for complex medical emergencies.
Facility Type and Overhead Costs
Oregon's major health systems like Legacy Health, Providence, and OHSU operate high-cost urban emergency departments with extensive specialty backup and advanced technology. Independent and rural hospitals typically have lower overhead costs but may lack specialized equipment or subspecialty coverage for complex cases. Hospital-based emergency departments generally charge higher facility fees than urgent care centers, reflecting their 24/7 staffing and advanced capabilities.
Insurance Market Competition in Oregon
Regence BlueCross BlueShield, PacificSource, and UnitedHealthCare dominate Oregon's insurance market, with moderate competition helping control negotiated rates for emergency services. The state's smaller insurance market means fewer plan options than larger states, but expanded Medicaid coverage reduces the uninsured population that drives up emergency department costs. Rural areas may have limited insurer participation, affecting negotiated rate competition.
Physician Supply and Demand in Oregon
With over 1,000 emergency medicine providers statewide, Oregon maintains adequate emergency physician coverage in urban areas but faces shortages in rural regions. The concentration of emergency medicine specialists in Portland and other major cities creates higher demand and potentially higher costs in underserved rural areas. Physician supply challenges in remote areas sometimes require expensive locum tenens coverage or telemedicine consultations.
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 Oregon
What is the average cost of a ER Visit (High) visit in Oregon without insurance?
Does Oregon Medicaid cover ER Visit (High) visits?
How do I find an affordable ER Visit (High) near me in Oregon?
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 Oregon?
How does telemedicine affect the cost of seeing a ER Visit (High) in Oregon?
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 |