CPT 99282
ER visit, level 2
An emergency room visit with straightforward decision making: one minor problem, little or no testing, and a low-risk plan. A simple rash, a mild sore throat, a medication question that could not wait for a clinic.
Billed to Medicare
$251
What providers submitted, on average, for this code in a hospital setting.
Medicare accepted
$39
What Medicare treated as payable. Not a commercial rate or a cash price.
The gap
6.4x
How many times the accepted amount the billed figure was.
National averages from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2024 data, retrieved 2026-09-14. Medicare fee-for-service, physician and practitioner claims only. The hospital's own charge for the same code is separate and is usually higher. Based on 144,601 services.
Among the 6 emergency room visit levels codes on this site with CMS figures, this gap ranks 4 of 6 (median 6.4x). The widest is ER visit, level 1 at 15.6x.
Where this line goes wrong
The level is about decisions, not time in the waiting room
Since 2023 the ER doctor's level is set by medical decision making alone: the number and severity of problems, the data reviewed, and the risk of the plan. A six-hour wait for a level 2 problem is still a level 2.
Two bills, two levels
The hospital's facility level and the doctor's level are chosen separately. It is common for a level 2 physician visit to sit on the same statement as a level 3 or 4 facility charge. Neither is automatically wrong, but a large gap is a reason to ask both to explain their criteria.
Check it, then ask
- 1
Request the itemized bill and the visit record (the ER note). The level has to be justified by what is written there, not by what happened to you.
- 2
Check which bills carry the code. The hospital and the ER doctor usually each bill a level, and they do not have to match.
- 3
Compare the level to what was done: how many problems were addressed, what tests were ordered and reviewed, and what the decisions were (admit, discharge, prescription, procedure).
- 4
If the visit looks like a lower level, write to the billing office asking for a coding review and say which level you think fits and why. Ask for the response in writing.
The full walkthrough for this kind of bill: You got an ER bill.
For $49, a mediloop specialist reads your itemized bill and EOB, if available, checks every code against the record and available pricing, flags the lines to dispute, and prepares a step-by-step plan with the exact wording to send. It appears in your account within 24 hours after all required documents arrive.
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Codes that travel with this one
People also ask
Why is a level 2 visit still expensive?
The visit level is only one line. The hospital's ER facility fee, any imaging or lab work, and supplies are billed separately, and they usually add up to more than the level code itself.
What is the difference between 99282 and 99283?
Level 3 requires low complexity decision making rather than straightforward: typically more than one problem, or a problem that needed a test to sort out, or a prescription drug decision.
Sources
This page explains a billing code in general terms. It is not a coding, legal or medical opinion about your bill, and the code descriptions are mediloop's own plain-English summaries, not the official CPT descriptors, which are owned by the American Medical Association. Whether a charge was correct depends on the record of your visit and your payer's rules.