IV Fluids (first hour)

This is plain fluid given through a vein — salt water, essentially — as its own treatment rather than as a carrier for a drug. This code covers the first infusion, once it has run longer than half an hour and up to an hour. It is billed by time, not by the bag.

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What it is

A nurse places a small catheter in a vein, usually in the arm or the back of the hand, and hangs a bag of fluid that runs in under gravity or through a pump. The fluid itself is water with salts dissolved in it, matched roughly to what the body's own fluid contains. What this code describes is that fluid being given as the treatment — for someone who is dry, who cannot keep liquids down, or who has lost fluid faster than they can replace it by drinking. The clock matters here in a way it does not for most procedures: the billing starts at more than thirty minutes of infusion and this code covers up to the first hour.

Why it is done

To replace fluid lost through vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or heavy sweating when drinking is not keeping up
To treat dehydration in someone who is too nauseated, too young, or too unwell to take fluids by mouth
To correct an imbalance in the body's salts alongside the water itself
To support circulation in someone who has become lightheaded or is passing little urine

What to expect

The needle going in is the only painful part, and it lasts a moment; what stays behind is a soft plastic tube taped to the skin. The fluid is usually at room temperature and can feel cool moving up the arm. Over the hour most people feel steadily better — less thirsty, less dizzy — and will need the bathroom sooner than they expect, which is a good sign. Staff will check the site occasionally for swelling. Nothing about the infusion prevents talking, reading, or having someone sit with you. Blood tests are often drawn from the same catheter when it is placed.

Questions worth asking

Is the fluid the treatment, or is it just keeping a line open while a drug is given? Hydration billed alongside a drug infusion is worth questioning.
How long was the infusion actually recorded as running? This code turns on the documented start and stop times, not on how many bags were used.
Are the IV supplies, the catheter, and the fluid itself billed separately from the infusion time?
In an emergency department or infusion suite, is there also a facility charge and a separate clinician charge for the same visit?

What IV Fluids (first hour) costs by state

IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Texas — 113 hospitals, median $449.55
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in California — 90 hospitals, median $442.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Florida — 81 hospitals, median $782.35
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Ohio — 68 hospitals, median $478.80
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Illinois — 49 hospitals, median $401.60
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $336.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $104.32
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $293.70
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Pennsylvania — 32 hospitals, median $522.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Washington — 31 hospitals, median $418.51
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Iowa — 28 hospitals, median $396.11
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $522.40
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $424.50
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $678.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Arizona — 23 hospitals, median $201.13
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $249.32
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Kentucky — 22 hospitals, median $323.83
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Missouri — 21 hospitals, median $337.70
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in New Jersey — 21 hospitals, median $233.20
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $342.40
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $933.33
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Oklahoma — 17 hospitals, median $144.67
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $290.50
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $140.15
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $247.38
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $648.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Arkansas — 11 hospitals, median $151.76
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $240.50
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $184.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $320.40
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $533.10
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $461.60
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $744.12
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $292.54
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $372.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $254.40
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $193.28
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $234.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $236.00
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $215.46
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $278.46
IV Fluids (first hour) cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $423.90

IV Fluids (first hour) prices at hospitals

IV Fluids (first hour) at 64-0844470 MBMC Yazoo, Yazoo City — $22.14
IV Fluids (first hour) at 45-2896080 MBMC Leake, Carthage — $24.30
IV Fluids (first hour) at MUSC Health Black River Medical Center, Cades — $59.50
IV Fluids (first hour) at ADVENTIST HEALTH DELANO, Delano — $66.60
IV Fluids (first hour) at Mercy Primary Care - Bernie, Bernie — $69.00
IV Fluids (first hour) at Ascension Providence, Waco — $72.00
IV Fluids (first hour) at MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston, Charleston — $72.00
IV Fluids (first hour) at MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center, Orangeburg — $72.00
IV Fluids (first hour) at Arizona General Hospital Laveen, Phoenix — $78.55
IV Fluids (first hour) at Dickenson Community Hospital, CLINTWOOD — $78.66
IV Fluids (first hour) at Hancock County Hospital, SNEEDVILLE — $78.66
IV Fluids (first hour) at Lee County Community Hospital, PENNINGTON GAP — $78.66
IV Fluids (first hour) at Johnson County Community Hospital, MOUNTAIN CITY — $78.66
IV Fluids (first hour) at Bristol Regional Medical Center, BRISTOL — $79.95
IV Fluids (first hour) at Franklin Woods Community Hospital, JOHNSON CITY — $79.95
IV Fluids (first hour) at Greeneville Community Hospital, GREENEVILLE — $79.95
IV Fluids (first hour) at Hawkins County Memorial Hospital, ROGERSVILLE — $79.95
IV Fluids (first hour) at Holston Valley Medical Center, KINGSPORT — $79.95
IV Fluids (first hour) at Indian Path Community Hospital, KINGSPORT — $79.95
IV Fluids (first hour) at Johnson City Medical Center, JOHNSON CITY — $79.95

See every published price for IV Fluids (first hour): the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

IV Fluids (first hour) cost — see all prices →

Sources

MedlinePlus: Dehydration (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
MedlinePlus: Fluid and Electrolyte Balance (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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