Cost of a ER Visit (Low) Visit
in North Dakota
Reviewed by Momentary Medical Group West PC
North Dakota's rural geography creates unique challenges for emergency care access, with many residents traveling significant distances to reach the nearest emergency department. For ER Visit (Low) services, patients typically pay between $40 and $91, with a median out-of-pocket cost of $40 based on negotiated insurance rates across 665 active providers statewide. The state's widespread provider network means patients can browse options in both urban centers like Fargo and Bismarck as well as rural communities throughout North Dakota.
Average
$57
Median
$40
Lowest
$40
Highest
$91
Providers
665
39% below national average
Compare Similar Procedures
How does er visit (low severity) compare to related procedures in North Dakota?
| Procedure | CPT | Low | Median | High | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ER Visit (Moderate Severity) Emergency department visit, moderate severity | 99284 | $62 | $62 | $121 | 670 |
| ER Visit (High Severity) Emergency department visit, high severity | 99285 | $91 | $98 | $177 | 667 |
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 99283 — Emergency department visit, low to moderate 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 99283 covers
Data source: Cost figures are derived from UnitedHealthcare Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files for CPT code 99283 (Emergency department visit, low to moderate severity), as mandated by the CMS Price Transparency Rule.
What CPT 99283 covers: the provider's professional fee for er visit (low 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 (Low) Visit Costs Vary Across North Dakota
North Dakota's ER Visit (Low) costs run approximately 46% below national averages, reflecting the state's lower overall healthcare costs and rural market dynamics. The state's oil boom regions have created pockets of higher healthcare demand, while agricultural communities maintain more traditional pricing structures.
Urban vs. Rural Provider Availability
North Dakota's vast rural landscape means many residents depend on critical access hospitals for emergency care, with only Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks offering full-service regional medical centers. Rural emergency departments often operate with smaller staffing models and may transfer complex cases to urban facilities, affecting overall cost structures. The state's geographic spread creates natural service area monopolies for many emergency departments, reducing price competition.
Facility Type and Overhead Costs
Sanford Health and Essentia Health operate major hospital systems across North Dakota, with their emergency departments typically charging higher facility fees than independent critical access hospitals. Many rural facilities operate as government-owned entities with different cost structures and charity care obligations. The Bakken oil region has seen newer, higher-cost facilities built to serve the expanded population, while traditional agricultural areas maintain older, lower-overhead emergency departments.
Insurance Market Competition in North Dakota
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota holds a dominant market position, with Sanford Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare providing additional options primarily in urban areas. This concentrated insurance market creates strong negotiating power for the major insurers, helping keep emergency department rates relatively controlled. Rural areas often have limited insurer choices, reducing competitive pressure on negotiated rates between hospitals and insurance companies.
Physician Supply and Demand in North Dakota
With 665 active emergency medicine providers statewide, North Dakota maintains adequate emergency physician coverage relative to its population of approximately 780,000 residents. The state's medical school at UND and rural physician incentive programs help maintain provider supply, though recruitment to remote areas remains challenging. Adequate physician supply in emergency medicine helps prevent the extreme pricing premiums seen in physician-shortage specialties, contributing to the state's below-average emergency visit costs.
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 (Low) Costs in North Dakota
What is the average cost of a ER Visit (Low) visit in North Dakota without insurance?
Does North Dakota Medicaid cover ER Visit (Low) visits?
How do I find an affordable ER Visit (Low) near me in North Dakota?
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 (Low) visit in North Dakota?
How does telemedicine affect the cost of seeing a ER Visit (Low) in North Dakota?
Click a state to compare costs
Average Visit Cost
Office visit (CPT 99283)
Compare With Other States
| Rank | State | Average↓ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania Range: $47 – $693 | $271 |
| 2 | Wisconsin Range: $56 – $355 | $180 |
| 3 | Illinois Range: $57 – $252 | $133 |
| 4 | Maine Range: $86 – $184 | $131 |
| 5 | New Hampshire Range: $59 – $204 | $130 |
| 6 | Michigan Range: $54 – $252 | $126 |
| 7 | Iowa Range: $44 – $218 | $119 |
| 8 | Rhode Island Range: $40 – $204 | $111 |
| 9 | California Range: $80 – $153 | $107 |
| 10 | Vermont Range: $53 – $171 | $107 |
| 11 | Indiana Range: $57 – $171 | $105 |
| 12 | New York Range: $47 – $202 | $105 |
| 13 | Washington Range: $57 – $167 | $101 |
| 14 | Colorado Range: $54 – $159 | $99 |
| 15 | Wyoming Range: $54 – $155 | $97 |
| 16 | Idaho Range: $60 – $142 | $96 |
| 17 | Nebraska Range: $44 – $171 | $95 |
| 18 | Massachusetts Range: $40 – $206 | $95 |
| 19 | Utah Range: $53 – $139 | $93 |
| 20 | District of Columbia Range: $49 – $142 | $92 |
| 21 | Maryland Range: $43 – $162 | $91 |
| 22 | Connecticut Range: $53 – $153 | $90 |
| 23 | Georgia Range: $53 – $143 | $90 |
| 24 | Alaska Range: $69 – $118 | $89 |
| 25 | New Mexico Range: $54 – $139 | $88 |
| 26 | Kentucky Range: $40 – $139 | $88 |
| 27 | Hawaii Range: $54 – $139 | $87 |
| 28 | Texas Range: $54 – $118 | $86 |
| 29 | North Carolina Range: $51 – $136 | $85 |
| 30 | New Jersey Range: $44 – $142 | $84 |
| 31 | South Carolina Range: $51 – $128 | $83 |
| 32 | Arkansas Range: $51 – $115 | $81 |
| 33 | Nevada Range: $60 – $108 | $81 |
| 34 | Alabama Range: $49 – $131 | $80 |
| 35 | Virginia Range: $47 – $119 | $79 |
| 36 | Arizona Range: $53 – $107 | $77 |
| 37 | Ohio Range: $43 – $117 | $77 |
| 38 | Minnesota Range: $40 – $145 | $75 |
| 39 | Tennessee Range: $51 – $105 | $75 |
| 40 | Oklahoma Range: $51 – $104 | $75 |
| 41 | Delaware Range: $60 – $90 | $74 |
| 42 | Missouri Range: $52 – $99 | $74 |
| 43 | Mississippi Range: $51 – $104 | $73 |
| 44 | Montana Range: $40 – $91 | $70 |
| 45 | Kansas Range: $51 – $91 | $70 |
| 46 | Florida Range: $35 – $110 | $67 |
| 47 | West Virginia Range: $40 – $115 | $65 |
| 48 | Louisiana Range: $40 – $87 | $63 |
| 49 | Oregon Range: $40 – $108 | $63 |
| 50 | North Dakota Range: $40 – $91 | $57 |
| 51 | South Dakota Range: $40 – $88 | $56 |