Hemoglobin test cost in Nashville, TN — inpatient
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 8 hospitals list a cash price for hemoglobin blood test as an inpatient: from $3.08 to $37.20, with a median of $29.32. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery — $26.24 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $20.02 at 88 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 6 cities for code 85018, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 28, 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 Hemoglobin+1 more line at this price File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $3.08 | $11.00 | $2.13–$584.01 | 72% |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC HEMOGLOBIN File of Oct 1, 2025 · source file | $16.53 | $57.00 | $2.25–$45.60 | 71% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 Hemoglobin Clinic POC (RE) File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $26.40 | $44.00 | — | 40% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 Hgb+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $27.00 | $45.00 | — | 40% |
| Williamson Medical Center Franklin, TN · (615) 435-5000 HEMOGLOBIN source file | $27.85 | $49.40 | $18.33–$46.93 | 44% |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 HC HEMOGLOBIN File of Oct 1, 2025 · source file | $30.78 | $57.00 | $2.25–$45.60 | 46% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 HEMOGLOBIN source file | $37.20 | $124.00 | $2.13–$9.01 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 HEMOGLOBIN+1 more line at this price source file | $37.20 | $124.00 | $2.13–$9.01 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 HEMOGLOBIN source file | $37.20 | $124.00 | $1.66–$9.01 | 70% |
Inpatient: lowest $3.08, median $29.32, highest $37.20 — a 12.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 22 facilities here, median $40.42 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 7 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 hemoglobin test measures the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. It is used to check for anemia or bleeding and to follow treatment.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.