Salt Lake City-Murray, UT MSA

Salt Lake City ER Visit Cost

This page is for uninsured patients or those with high deductibles who want to compare ER prices before they go. It's also useful after a visit for comparing charges and negotiating with the hospital. The ER level fee is typically one of the highest line items on a facility bill.

ER Level 1 Average Cash Price

ER level 1: Usually a very limited emergency department service. The services are provided by ancillary staff rather than the same physician or qualified health professional structure used for higher ED visit levels.

$438

7x Medicare rate

ER Level 2 Average Cash Price

ER level 2: Straightforward medical decision making: a minimal problem, no tests or records analyzed, and negligible risk from the management options considered.

$915

7.64x Medicare rate

ER Level 3 Average Cash Price

ER level 3: Low medical decision making: low-complexity problems such as multiple minor issues, a stable chronic problem, or a straightforward acute illness or injury, with limited data review and below-average management risk.

$1,369

6.47x Medicare rate

ER Level 4 Average Cash Price

ER level 4: Moderate medical decision making: a worsening chronic problem, multiple stable chronic problems, an undiagnosed higher-risk new problem, unexpected acute symptoms, or a complex injury, with moderate data workup and average management risk.

$2,045

6.42x Medicare rate

ER Level 5 Average Cash Price

ER level 5: High medical decision making: a severe chronic problem or an acute or chronic problem or injury that may threaten life or bodily function, with extensive data review and above-average management risk such as hospitalization or urgent high-risk treatment decisions.

$2,891

6.41x Medicare rate

Cash Price Coverage

11 of 11 ER locations

Last UpdatedJun 10, 2026

Big ER Bill? What To Do Now

ER Visit Cost without Insurance

ER visit costs can vary as they can include a facility fee, clinician bill, labs, imaging, medication, transport, and insurance-specific out-of-pocket responsibility. We compare ER cost based on one service every ER visit would have: Level of Emergency Department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient. These figures are source data points, not guarantees of the final bill.

Salt Lake City ER Cash Price Map

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Showing 1-5 of 11 ER locations

Showing 1-10 of 11 ER locations

CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan ValleyVoluntary non-profit - Private

ER service level cash price

ER level 1

$144

Below average

ER level 2

$309

Below average

ER level 3

$470

Below average

ER level 4

$747

Below average

ER level 5

$1,024

Below average

Overall rating: 3 stars
Dataset version: 2026-02-11

CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Salt LakeProprietary

ER service level cash price

ER level 1

$144

Below average

ER level 2

$309

Below average

ER level 3

$470

Below average

ER level 4

$747

Below average

ER level 5

$1,024

Below average

Overall rating: 2 stars
Dataset version: 2026-02-11

Mountain West Medical CenterProprietary

ER service level cash price

ER level 1

$316

Below average

ER level 2

$554

Below average

ER level 3

$879

Below average

ER level 4

$1,315

Below average

ER level 5

$1,839

Below average

Overall rating: Not available
Dataset version: 2026-01-31

Intermountain Health Primary Children's HospitalVoluntary non-profit - PrivatePediatric ER

ER service level cash price

ER level 1

$193

Below average

ER level 2

$504

Below average

ER level 3

$847

Below average

ER level 4

$1,529

Below average

ER level 5

$2,374

Below average

Overall rating: Not available
Dataset version: 2025-08-26

Intermountain Health Alta View HospitalVoluntary non-profit - Private

ER service level cash price

ER level 1

$615

Above average

ER level 2

$922

Around average

ER level 3

$1,383

Around average

ER level 4

$2,074

Around average

ER level 5

$3,111

Around average

Overall rating: 4 stars
Dataset version: 3/23/2026

Emergency room cost data by facility
Facility Name	Overall Rating	ER service level cash price					Dataset Version
Facility Name	Overall Rating						Dataset Version
CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan ValleyVoluntary non-profit - Private	3 stars	$144 Below average	$309 Below average	$470 Below average	$747 Below average	$1,024 Below average	2026-02-11
CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital - Salt LakeProprietary	2 stars	$144 Below average	$309 Below average	$470 Below average	$747 Below average	$1,024 Below average	2026-02-11
Mountain West Medical CenterProprietary	Not available	$316 Below average	$554 Below average	$879 Below average	$1,315 Below average	$1,839 Below average	2026-01-31
Intermountain Health Primary Children's HospitalVoluntary non-profit - PrivatePediatric ER	Not available	$193 Below average	$504 Below average	$847 Below average	$1,529 Below average	$2,374 Below average	2025-08-26
Intermountain Health Alta View HospitalVoluntary non-profit - Private	4 stars	$615 Above average	$922 Around average	$1,383 Around average	$2,074 Around average	$3,111 Around average	3/23/2026
Intermountain Health Lds HospitalVoluntary non-profit - Private	4 stars	$615 Above average	$922 Around average	$1,383 Around average	$2,074 Around average	$3,111 Around average	3/23/2026
Intermountain Health Riverton HospitalVoluntary non-profit - Private	4 stars	$615 Above average	$922 Around average	$1,383 Around average	$2,074 Around average	$3,111 Around average	3/23/2026
University Of Utah HospitalGovernment - State	5 stars	$501 Above average	$752 Below average	$1,252 Around average	$2,254 Above average	$3,495 Above average	07/01/2025
Lone Peak HospitalProprietary	5 stars	$373 Below average	$2,046 Above average	$2,517 Above average	$2,533 Above average	$2,852 Around average	2024-10-01
Intermountain Health Intermountain Medical CenterVoluntary non-profit - Private	5 stars	$818 Above average	$1,226 Above average	$1,839 Above average	$2,759 Above average	$4,138 Above average	3/23/2026

Showing 1-10 of 11 ER locations

Data Sources

Cash-price values are from each facility's latest standard charges file published on its website. The average comparison note uses the city average for the same ER service level: around average means within a +/-10% band, above average means more than 10% above, and below average means more than 10% below. Hospital ownership labels and hospital overall ratings come from the CMS Hospital General Information dataset. CMS ratings are a broad summary, not a perfect measure of whether a hospital is best for a specific service.

Why ER level 4 is the default sort

ERcost defaults to ER level 4 because recent commercial ED spending research shows higher-intensity emergency department visit codes now represent a large share of billed visits. This default is based on the Health Affairs study Price Increases Versus Upcoding As Drivers Of Emergency Department Spending Increases, 2012-19 and its ED spending analysis. By 2019, level 4 was the single most common level among ER levels 3, 4, and 5, with level 5 close behind. Level 4 is a practical default for comparison, but actual coding depends on the care documented for a specific visit.

Hit with a big ER bill in Salt Lake City?

Start by checking the bill for errors, asking about discounts or financial assistance, and using your state's medical-debt rules before you respond to collections.

What you can do now

Request an itemized bill with billing codes, verify that every charge matches the services you actually received, and check whether your bill qualifies for No Surprises Act protections.
Ask the hospital about cash-pay or lump-sum discounts, and apply for financial assistance if you qualify.
Use FAIR Health or Bill Sherlock to check if your ER bill is reasonable.
Use Dollar For to apply for hospital financial assistance at no cost.
Hire a medical billing advocate to review your bill. Most work on contingency, charging only when they successfully reduce what you owe.
Keep every bill, denial, and collection notice. The dates matter if you need to challenge credit reporting, wage garnishment, or a lawsuit filed too late.

Utah medical-debt rules

Medical-debt credit reporting: Conditional. Providers must send notice with a due date at least 45 days out (60 days for Medicare) before reporting or sending to collections. Not a full ban.
Wage garnishment: Federal baseline. Social Security, SSI, veterans', disability, workers' comp, and unemployment benefits are exempt.
Deadline to sue (statute of limitations): 6 years for written contracts.

State medical debt rules

Reports and research

The New York Times | September 7, 2015 | Gina Kolata

What Are a Hospital's Costs? Utah System Is Trying to Learn

Read article

Costs cited in the article

University of Utah calculated emergency room cost at $0.82 per minute.
The same system calculated surgical intensive care unit cost at $1.43 per minute.
Operating-room time for an orthopedic surgery case was calculated at $12 per minute.
Internal-medicine lab tests totaled about $2 million per year before ordering changes saved $200,000 per year.
A bypass-surgery care redesign was reported to reduce costs by 30% while patients spent less time in the hospital and had fewer complications.

JAMA | September 13, 2016 | Vivian S. Lee et al.

Implementation of a Value-Driven Outcomes Program to Identify High Variability in Clinical Costs and Outcomes and Association With Reduced Cost and Improved Quality

Read article

This University of Utah study evaluated a value-driven outcomes tool that connected patient-level direct costs with quality measures from 2012 to 2016. The program helped clinical teams identify high-variation, high-cost areas and was associated with lower costs and improved quality in selected projects.

Findings from the paper

Total joint replacement direct costs were 7% lower in the implementation year and 11% lower in the postimplementation year compared with baseline.
The total joint replacement composite quality index improved from 54% at baseline to 80% one year into implementation.
Hospitalist laboratory testing mean cost per day fell from $138 at baseline to $123 in the evaluation period, with no significant change in mean length of stay.
The sepsis pilot reduced mean time to anti-infective administration after systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria were met from 7.8 hours to 3.6 hours.