ER visit · CPT 99283

What is CPT code 99283?

Emergency department visit, moderate level (level 3 of 5).

By Justin Feldstein · Reviewed 2026-06-15

What it covers

This is the middle tier on the emergency department's five-level scale, used when your visit involved a moderate amount of clinical work and lower-complexity decision-making. Think of a problem the ER took seriously but that didn't require an intensive workup or high-stakes calls, like a cut that needed stitches, a bad sprain, or a fever that got checked out and sent home. The level is set by how much medical decision-making the visit required, not by how long you waited.

When you'd see it

You'll see this after a trip to the emergency room or a freestanding ER for something real but not life-threatening, where you were examined, maybe got a test or two, and were discharged the same visit.

Roughly what it costs

$350–$1600 commonly billed

A ballpark on the billed amount. After insurance or a negotiated rate, what you owe is often far lower. Always compare against your Explanation of Benefits (EOB).

What's usually billed with it

An ER visit almost always generates two separate charges for the same trip: a hospital facility fee and a separate physician fee for the doctor, and any labs, imaging, or supplies are billed as their own line items on top.

99283 vs 99284

Level 4 signals a more involved visit with moderate-complexity decision-making, so if your ER trip was relatively straightforward, a level-4 charge is worth a question. See 99284 (ER level 4).

What to watch for

Ask the billing office which factors put your visit at level 3, and confirm the hospital's facility fee and the doctor's separate professional fee are two legitimate charges and not the same service billed twice.

Specific things to question

• Charged as a higher level (99284 or 99285) when the visit was straightforward and you were discharged quickly with little testing.
• A facility fee and a physician fee that aren't clearly itemized, so the split looks like a duplicate charge.
• Labs or imaging billed both individually and bundled into the visit.

How to check this charge on your own bill

Find 99283 on your itemized bill and match it against your EOB. Confirm it appears only once, that any bundled services aren't also billed separately, and that the amount matches what your insurer says it allowed. If something doesn't line up, that's a fair question for the billing office.