Biopsy pathology exam cost in Knoxville, TN — inpatient
In Knoxville, TN, 6 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV) as an inpatient: from $32.70 to $39.06, with a median of $35.97. The lowest listed price is at Parkwest Medical Center — $3.27 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $44.00 at 44 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 88305, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Aug 5, 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkwest Medical Center lowest Knoxville, TN · (865) 970-1001 TC LEVEL IV SURG PATH GRSS & MICR | $32.70 | $109.00 | $18.51–$221.28 | 70% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Roane County Medical Center Harriman, TN · (865) 316-1000 TC LEVEL IV SURG PATH GRSS & MICR | $35.97 | $109.00 | $18.51–$221.28 | 67% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge Oak Ridge, TN · (865) 835-1000 TC LEVEL IV SURG PATH GRSS & MICR | $35.97 | $109.00 | $18.51–$221.28 | 67% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Fort Loudoun Medical Center Lenoir City, TN · (865) 271-6000 TC LEVEL IV SURG PATH GRSS & MICR | $35.97 | $109.00 | $18.51–$221.28 | 67% | Aug 27, 2026 source file |
| Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Knoxville, TN · (865) 541-1101 TC LEVEL IV SURG PATH GRSS & MICR | $35.97 | $109.00 | $18.51–$221.28 | 67% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Parkwest Medical Center Louisville, TN SURG PATH L IV GROSS & MICRO | $39.06 | $62.00 | $47.28–$221.28 | 37% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Parkwest Medical Center Louisville, TN TC LEVEL IV SURG PATH GRSS & MICR | $68.67 | $109.00 | $47.28–$221.28 | 37% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Knoxville, TN · (865) 541-1101 SURG PATH L IV GROSS & MICRO | $139.92 | $424.00 | $18.51–$381.60 | 67% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge Oak Ridge, TN · (865) 835-1000 SURG PATH L IV GROSS & MICRO | $139.92 | $424.00 | $18.51–$381.60 | 67% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $32.70, median $35.97, highest $39.06 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $35.97 — 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 1 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 it is
This code covers the lab exam of a tissue sample under a microscope. Most biopsies use it, including skin, colon polyp, stomach, breast core and prostate core biopsies.
What the price covers
The price is usually for one specimen. Each separate specimen is billed again, and the pathologist's reading may be billed separately.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 88305 ($186.06). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Parkwest Medical Center Knoxville, TNSURG PATH L IV GROSS & MICRO | $18.60 | file |