Emergency department visit (level 1) cost in Saint Louis, MO

Prices at 5 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $473 — 127% above the US median ($208), roughly 43.0× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO $200 $239 ★ 2/5 246 min 15.8%
Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO $250 $88 ★ 4/5 217 min 15.1%
St Louis Childrens Hospital Saint Louis, MO $473 $514
Missouri Baptist Medical Center Saint Louis, MO $569 $616 ★ 5/5 252 min 14.8%
Christian Hospital Northeast Saint Louis, MO $569 $616 ★ 4/5 223 min 14.7%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$789
Cash / self-pay
$473
Insurer-negotiated
$514
Medicare pays
$11
$220$569
Median cash $473  ·  Medicare $11  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $473 — about 43.0× the Medicare rate ($11). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($22).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $789 list price could save about $316 (40%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

All Emergency department visit (level 1) prices in Missouri → · All Emergency department visit (level 1) prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis