C. diff test cost in Nashville, TN
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 20 hospitals list a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $48.45 to $478.65, with a median of $164.74. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery — $116.29 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $89.61 at 86 hospitals.
- The median here, $164.74, is 20% above the US median of $136.79.
- That is 4.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($37.27).
- Nashville, TN ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Tennessee by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 20 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 20 facilities across 17 cities for code 87493, 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.
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 C DIFF AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $48.45 | — | $33.54–$584.01 | — |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC AMP PROBE CLOSTRIDIUM File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $71.05 | $245.00 | — | 71% |
| Sumner Regional Medical Center Gallatin, TN · (615) 328-8888 Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); Clostridium difficile, toxin gene(s), amplified probe technique File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $78.97 | $338.91 | $114.72 | 77% |
| Riverview Regional Medical Center Carthage, TN · (615) 735-9815 Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); Clostridium difficile, toxin gene(s), amplified probe technique File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $92.04 | $282.32 | $145.31 | 67% |
| Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center Hendersonville, TN · (615) 338-1000 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $103.43 | $103.43 | $19.04–$95.16 | — |
| Williamson Medical Center Franklin, TN · (615) 435-5000 CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE/EPI+1 more line at this price File of Aug 1, 2026 · source file | $117.22 | $207.90 | $83.78–$197.50 | 44% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 C-Difficile PCR+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $131.40 | $219.00 | — | 40% |
| Macon Community Hospital Lafayette, TN · (615) 666-2147 C DIFFICILE TOXIN GENE NAA LC File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $134.16 | $223.60 | $21.71–$201.24 | 40% |
| Trousdale Medical Center Hartsville, TN · (615) 374-2221 Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); Clostridium difficile, toxin gene(s), amplified probe technique File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $143.25 | $282.54 | $102.68 | 49% |
| Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Antioch, TN · (615) 781-4000 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $163.47 | $163.47 | $30.09–$143.85 | — |
| Tristar Summit Medical Center Mt Juliet, TN · (615) 316-3000 C DIFF TOX B NAP1 ST AMP File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $166.00 | $166.00 | $30.56–$146.08 | — |
| Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 769-2000 C DIFF TOX B NAP1 ST AMP File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $185.67 | $185.67 | $34.18–$181.96 | — |
| Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 769-2000 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $186.00 | $186.00 | $34.24–$182.28 | — |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 C DIFF BY DNA SCREEN+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $197.91 | $659.70 | $24.61–$135.44 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 C DIFF BY DNA SCREEN+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $197.91 | $659.70 | $33.54–$135.44 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 C DIFF BY DNA SCREEN+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $197.91 | $659.70 | $33.54–$135.44 | 70% |
| Tristar Horizon Medical Center Dickson, TN · (615) 446-0446 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $219.15 | $219.15 | $40.35–$201.62 | — |
| Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center Hendersonville, TN · (615) 338-1000 C DIFF TOX B NAP1 ST AMP File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $253.45 | $253.45 | $46.66–$233.17 | — |
| Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Antioch, TN · (615) 781-4000 C DIFF TOX B NAP1 ST AMP File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $271.00 | $271.00 | $49.89–$238.48 | — |
| Tristar Ashland City Medical Center Ashland City, TN · (615) 792-3030 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $313.05 | $313.05 | $57.63–$2,000.00 | — |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 342-1000 C DIFF TOX B NAP1 ST AMP+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $336.75 | $336.75 | $62.00–$336.75 | — |
| Tristar Summit Medical Center Mt Juliet, TN · (615) 316-3000 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $470.23 | $470.23 | $86.57–$413.80 | — |
| Tristar Northcrest Medical Center Springfield, TN · (615) 384-2411 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $477.92 | $477.92 | $90.80–$391.89 | — |
| Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center Smyrna, TN · (615) 768-2000 C DIFF TOX B NAP1 ST AMP File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $478.65 | $478.65 | $88.12–$440.36 | — |
| Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center Smyrna, TN · (615) 768-2000 C DIFF TOX GENE AMP PROB File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $525.00 | $525.00 | $96.65–$483.00 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $48.45, median $164.74, highest $478.65 — a 9.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $164.66. 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 6 of 18 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 it is 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 C. diff test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: C. diff test explained.