ER bill explained — why emergency room bills are so high

Why you may receive multiple bills

An ER visit typically generates separate bills from multiple providers:

• The hospital — for use of the emergency department facility
• The ER physician group — for the doctor who treated you (this is usually a separate billing entity)
• Specialists — if any consulting physicians were involved
• Radiology — if X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs were ordered
• Laboratory — if blood work or other tests were run

Each of these may be in-network or out-of-network independently. An in-network hospital does not guarantee that the ER physician group is in-network.

Facility fees

The hospital charges a facility fee for use of the emergency department — separate from any physician charges. These fees vary widely and are not always clearly explained on the bill.

No Surprises Act and emergency care

The No Surprises Act provides significant protection for emergency care. You cannot be balance billed more than your in-network cost-sharing amount for emergency services — regardless of whether the provider is in-network. If you received an ER bill with out-of-network charges, these protections may apply.

A note on this guide

General information only. Not legal or medical advice.