How much does ER visit, level 5 cost in San Francisco, CA?
CPT 99285 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for San Francisco, CA.
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) lowest | Hospital | $526cash | 0.9× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $1,160cash | 1.9× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $3,307cash | 5.4× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,570cash | 5.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $4,132cash | 6.7× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $4,220cash | 6.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $4,371cash | 7.1× | — |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $4,498cash | 7.3× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $5,052cash | 8.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $6,108cash | 10.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $8,003cash | 13.1× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $8,003cash | 13.1× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $8,003cash | 13.1× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $8,003cash | 13.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $8,003cash | 13.1× | — |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $9,985cash | 16.3× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) gross charge | Hospital | $15,705cash | 25.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $21,255cash | 34.7× | — |
- For 99285 (ER visit, level 5), Medicare's benchmark rate is $613.10. A fair self-pay target for this line is $1,226.20. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 99285 is $5,579.98, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $3,991.59–$8,003.00. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
What should 99285 cost in San Francisco, CA?
For ER visit, level 5 (CPT 99285) in San Francisco, CA, a fair self-pay price is around $4,775, with hospitals ranging from $3,992 to $8,003 across 18 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $613, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does ER visit, level 5 cost in San Francisco, CA?
A fair self-pay price for ER visit, level 5 (CPT 99285) in San Francisco, CA is around $4,775, with hospital prices ranging from $3,992 to $8,003 across 18 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 99285?
Medicare pays about $613 for ER visit, level 5 (CPT 99285). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of ER visit, level 5?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
Compare other procedures in San Francisco, CA
Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.