BUN test cost in Knoxville, TN
In Knoxville, TN, 8 hospitals list a cash price for blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test: from $9.30 to $19.53, with a median of $13.20. The lowest listed price is at Parkwest Medical Center — $3.90 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $24.17 at 87 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 7 cities for code 84520, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 27, 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 Knoxville, TN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkwest Medical Center lowest Knoxville, TN · (865) 970-1001 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $9.30 | $31.00 | $1.78–$27.90 | 70% |
| Parkwest Medical Center Knoxville, TN · (865) 970-1001 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $12.00 | $40.00 | $1.78–$36.00 | 70% |
| Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Knoxville, TN · (865) 541-1101 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $13.20 | $40.00 | $1.78–$36.00 | 67% |
| Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge Oak Ridge, TN · (865) 835-1000 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $13.20 | $40.00 | $1.78–$36.00 | 67% |
| Fort Loudoun Medical Center Lenoir City, TN · (865) 271-6000 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 27, 2026 · source file | $13.20 | $40.00 | $1.78–$36.00 | 67% |
| Roane County Medical Center Harriman, TN · (865) 316-1000 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $13.20 | $40.00 | $1.78–$36.00 | 67% |
| Physicians Regional Medical Center Powell, TN · (865) 545-8000 UREA NITROGEN,QUAN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $16.19 | $71.48 | $1.71–$71.48 | 77% |
| Lafollette Medical Center Lafollette, TN · (423) 907-1200 UREA NITROGEN,QUAN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $19.30 | $71.48 | $1.71–$587.07 | 73% |
| Peninsula Hospital Louisville, TN · (865) 970-1001 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $19.53 | $31.00 | $3.54–$24.80 | 37% |
| Peninsula Hospital Louisville, TN · (865) 970-1001 UREA NITROGEN QUANT File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $25.20 | $40.00 | $3.54–$32.00 | 37% |
Outpatient: lowest $9.30, median $13.20, highest $19.53 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $17.86. 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 8 of 8 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 BUN test measures urea nitrogen, a waste product removed by the kidneys. It is used with creatinine to check kidney function and hydration.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.