Surgery and procedures CPT 50590 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Shock wave lithotripsy cost in Nashville, TN — inpatient

In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 4 hospitals list a cash price for shock-wave lithotripsy to break up kidney stones (from outside the body) as an inpatient: from $853.76 to $6,590.42, with a median of $4,090.08. The lowest listed price is at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital — $3,236.32 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $2,641.36 at 16 hospitals.

Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 50590, 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.

Lowest$853.76Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital
Median$4,090.08half pay less
Highest$6,590.42in this market
Difference7.7×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN.

median
Lowest $853.76Highest $9,885.59
one sideboth sides

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital lowest Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 FRAGMENT KIDNEY STONE/ ESWL $853.76 $2,944.00 $358.83–$2,944.00 71% Oct 1, 2025
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 FRAGMENT KIDNEY STONE/ ESWL $1,589.76 $2,944.00 $358.83–$2,944.00 46% Oct 1, 2025
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Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC LITHOTRIPSY EXTRACO SHOCK WAVE $4,784.42 $16,498.00 $1,678.67–$16,498.00 71% Oct 1, 2025
source file
Saint Thomas West Hospital one side Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL) RT $6,590.39 $21,967.95 $3,613.00–$18,315.00 70% —
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Saint Thomas West Hospital one side Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL) LT $6,590.39 $21,967.95 $3,613.00–$18,315.00 70% —
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Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital one side Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL) RT $6,590.42 $21,968.05 $3,613.00–$18,315.00 70% —
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Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital one side Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL) LT $6,590.42 $21,968.05 $3,613.00–$18,315.00 70% —
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 HC LITHOTRIPSY EXTRACO SHOCK WAVE $8,908.92 $16,498.00 $3,331.43–$16,498.00 46% Oct 1, 2025
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Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital both sides Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL) BILATERAL $9,885.59 $32,951.95 $3,613.00–$18,315.00 70% —
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Saint Thomas West Hospital both sides Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 LITHOTRIPSY (ESWL) BILATERAL $9,885.59 $32,951.95 $3,613.00–$18,315.00 70% —
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Inpatient: lowest $853.76, median $4,090.08, highest $6,590.42 — a 7.7× difference within the same market.

Both sides : lowest $9,885.59, median $9,885.59, highest $9,885.59.

The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $4,090.08 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 4 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. 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

Shock-wave lithotripsy breaks kidney or ureter stones into small pieces with sound waves aimed from outside the body, so the pieces can pass in the urine. No cut is made, and it is usually done under sedation or anesthesia.

What the price covers

The listed price usually covers the lithotripsy treatment in the facility. The urologist, anesthesia, X-rays and any stent placement are often billed separately; some hospitals rent the machine from an outside company, which can change how the charge is listed.