Urine dipstick, automated cost in Nashville, TN
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 19 hospitals list a cash price for urinalysis without microscope exam, automated: from $2.93 to $649.63, with a median of $40.42. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery — $37.49 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $10.80 at 86 hospitals.
- The median here, $40.42, is 55% above the US median of $26.07.
- That is 18.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($2.25).
- Nashville, TN ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Tennessee by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 19 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 19 facilities across 16 cities for code 81003, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 31, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Oct 1, 2026.
Lowest$2.93Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery
Median$40.42half of hospitals charge less
Highest$649.63in this market
Difference221.7×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 $2.93Highest $649.63
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery lowest Nashville, TN Urine Dipstick+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $2.93 | $11.00 | $2.03–$584.01 | 73% |
| Macon Community Hospital Lafayette, TN · (615) 666-2147 UA W MICROFND File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $8.10 | $13.50 | $1.39–$12.15 | 40% |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC URINALYSIS AUTO W/O MICRO+1 more line at this price File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $8.41 | $29.00 | — | 71% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 HEMOGLOBIN BLOOD URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $22.23 | $74.10 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Sumner Regional Medical Center Gallatin, TN · (615) 328-8888 Urinalysis, by dip stick or tablet reagent for bilirubin, glucose, hemoglobin, ketones, leukocytes, nitrite, pH, protein, specific gravity, urobilinogen, any number of these constituents; automated, without microscopy File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $22.28 | $95.62 | $7.34 | 77% |
| Riverview Regional Medical Center Carthage, TN · (615) 735-9815 Urinalysis, by dip stick or tablet reagent for bilirubin, glucose, hemoglobin, ketones, leukocytes, nitrite, pH, protein, specific gravity, urobilinogen, any number of these constituents; automated, without microscopy File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $25.97 | $79.65 | $9.30 | 67% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 KETONES+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $26.24 | $87.45 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 KETONES-URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $26.24 | $87.45 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 KETONES-URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $26.24 | $87.45 | $1.57–$9.01 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 PH URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $28.19 | $93.95 | $1.57–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 PH URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $28.19 | $93.95 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 PH URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $28.19 | $93.95 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 PROTEIN URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $29.93 | $99.75 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 Urine Dipstick Clinic POC (RE)+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $31.80 | $53.00 | — | 40% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 SPECIFIC GRAVITY URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $32.81 | $109.35 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 SPECIFIC GRAVITY URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $32.81 | $109.35 | $1.57–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 SPECIFIC GRAVITY URINE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $32.81 | $109.35 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 URINALYSIS W/OUT MICROSCOPIC+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $34.80 | $116.00 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 URINALYSIS W/OUT MICROSCOPIC+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $34.80 | $116.00 | $1.57–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 URINALYSIS W/OUT MICROSCOPIC+3 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $34.80 | $116.00 | $1.79–$9.01 | 70% |
| Trousdale Medical Center Hartsville, TN · (615) 374-2221 Urinalysis, by dip stick or tablet reagent for bilirubin, glucose, hemoglobin, ketones, leukocytes, nitrite, pH, protein, specific gravity, urobilinogen, any number of these constituents; automated, without microscopy File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $40.42 | $79.72 | $6.58 | 49% |
| Tristar Northcrest Medical Center Springfield, TN · (615) 384-2411 UA W O MICRO AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $113.03 | $113.03 | $2.25–$92.68 | — |
| Tristar Summit Medical Center Mt Juliet, TN · (615) 316-3000 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $240.00 | $240.00 | $44.18–$211.20 | — |
| Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center Smyrna, TN · (615) 768-2000 UA W O MICRO AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $300.50 | $300.50 | $2.25–$276.46 | — |
| Tristar Horizon Medical Center Dickson, TN · (615) 446-0446 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $337.41 | $337.41 | $62.12–$310.42 | — |
| Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Antioch, TN · (615) 781-4000 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $365.00 | $365.00 | $67.20–$321.20 | — |
| Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 769-2000 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $385.06 | $385.06 | $70.89–$377.36 | — |
| Tristar Ashland City Medical Center Ashland City, TN · (615) 792-3030 UA W O MICRO AUTO+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $606.94 | $606.94 | $2.25–$2,000.00 | — |
| Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center Hendersonville, TN · (615) 338-1000 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $627.12 | $627.12 | $115.45–$576.95 | — |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 342-1000 UA W O MICRO AUTO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $649.63 | $649.63 | $435.25 | — |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $2.93, median $40.42, highest $649.63 — a 221.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $24.24. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 17 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 urine dipstick, automated is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Urine dipstick, automated explained.