CEA test cost in Nashville, TN
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 21 hospitals list a cash price for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test: from $24.65 to $2,336.38, with a median of $137.88. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery — $113.23 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $63.44 at 88 hospitals.
Cash prices at 21 facilities across 16 cities for code 82378, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 2, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 1, 2025 and Sep 1, 2026.
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.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery lowest Nashville, TN CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $24.65 | — | $17.06–$584.01 | — |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG (CEA) File of Oct 1, 2025 · source file | $59.16 | $204.00 | $17.97–$163.20 | 71% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG (CEA)+1 more line at this price source file | $63.44 | $211.45 | $17.06–$73.36 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG (CEA)+1 more line at this price source file | $63.44 | $211.45 | $17.06–$73.36 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG (CEA)+1 more line at this price source file | $63.44 | $211.45 | $13.31–$73.36 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 CEA BODY FLUID+1 more line at this price source file | $63.50 | $211.65 | $13.31–$73.36 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 CEA BODY FLUID+1 more line at this price source file | $63.50 | $211.65 | $17.06–$73.36 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 CEA BF+1 more line at this price source file | $67.25 | $224.15 | $17.06–$73.36 | 70% |
| Macon Community Hospital Lafayette, TN · (615) 666-2147 CEA LC source file | $68.28 | $113.80 | $11.74–$102.42 | 40% |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 HC CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG (CEA) File of Oct 1, 2025 · source file | $110.16 | $204.00 | $15.00–$163.20 | 46% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 Carcinoembryonic Antigen ARUP File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $115.80 | $193.00 | — | 40% |
| Sumner Regional Medical Center Gallatin, TN · (615) 328-8888 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) source file | $118.31 | $507.77 | $57.11 | 77% |
| Williamson Medical Center Franklin, TN · (615) 435-5000 CEA source file | $121.28 | $215.10 | $86.69–$204.34 | 44% |
| Riverview Regional Medical Center Carthage, TN · (615) 735-9815 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) source file | $137.88 | $422.96 | $82.69 | 67% |
| Trousdale Medical Center Hartsville, TN · (615) 374-2221 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) source file | $214.61 | $423.29 | $55.49 | 49% |
| Tristar Summit Medical Center Mt Juliet, TN · (615) 316-3000 CEA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $296.00 | $296.00 | $18.96–$260.48 | — |
| Tristar Northcrest Medical Center Springfield, TN · (615) 384-2411 CEA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $404.55 | $404.55 | $18.96–$331.73 | — |
| Tristar Ashland City Medical Center Ashland City, TN · (615) 792-3030 CEA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $450.00 | $450.00 | $18.96–$2,000.00 | — |
| Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center Smyrna, TN · (615) 768-2000 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $696.87 | $696.87 | $8.53–$641.12 | — |
| Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 781-4000 CEA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $767.00 | $767.00 | $18.96–$674.96 | — |
| Tristar Horizon Medical Center Dickson, TN · (615) 446-0446 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $848.85 | $848.85 | $18.96–$780.94 | — |
| Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center Portland, TN · (615) 338-1000 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,140.59 | $1,140.59 | $18.96–$1,049.34 | — |
| Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 769-2000 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,627.44 | $1,627.44 | $18.96–$1,594.89 | — |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 342-1000 Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,336.38 | $2,336.38 | $18.96–$1,565.37 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $24.65, median $137.88, highest $2,336.38 — a 94.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $63.44. 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 9 of 20 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
A CEA test measures a protein that can be high in colorectal and some other cancers. It is used to follow treatment and watch for recurrence, not to screen healthy people.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.