Tonsillectomy, child cost in Nashville, TN — inpatient
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 1 hospital lists a cash price for tonsil removal (tonsillectomy) only, child under 12 as an inpatient: from $478.44 to $478.44, with a median of $478.44. Across Tennessee, the median is $3,526.13 at 7 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 42825, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 1, 2025 and Oct 1, 2025.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 REMOVAL OF TONSILS,<12 Y/O | $478.44 | $886.00 | $162.35–$886.00 | 46% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $478.44, median $478.44, highest $478.44.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $478.44 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This code covers removing the tonsils without the adenoids in a child under 12.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the operating room, recovery and supplies. The surgeon and anesthesia usually bill separately.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 42825 ($2,688.50). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TNREMOVAL OF TONSILS,<12 Y/O | $256.94 | file |