CEA test cost in Nashville, TN — inpatient
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 7 hospitals list a cash price for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test as an inpatient: from $59.16 to $121.28, with a median of $63.44. The lowest listed price is at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital — $4.28 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $63.44 at 88 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 6 cities for code 82378, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital lowest 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% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG (CEA) File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $63.44 | $211.45 | $13.31–$73.36 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 CARCINOEMBRYONIC AG (CEA) File of Jan 1, 2026 · 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) File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $63.44 | $211.45 | $17.06–$73.36 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 CEA BODY FLUID File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $63.50 | $211.65 | $13.31–$73.36 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 CEA BODY FLUID File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $63.50 | $211.65 | $17.06–$73.36 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 CEA BF File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $67.25 | $224.15 | $17.06–$73.36 | 70% |
| 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% |
| Williamson Medical Center Franklin, TN · (615) 435-5000 CEA File of Aug 1, 2026 · source file | $121.28 | $215.10 | $79.80–$204.34 | 44% |
Inpatient: lowest $59.16, median $63.44, highest $121.28 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 21 facilities here, median $137.88 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 6 of 6 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.