Biopsy pathology exam cost in Nashville, TN — inpatient
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 4 hospitals list a cash price for biopsy tissue exam by a pathologist (level IV) as an inpatient: from $31.71 to $135.00, with a median of $52.11. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas West Hospital and 1 other hospital — $20.40 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $44.00 at 44 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 88305, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 1, 2025 and Oct 1, 2025.
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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Thomas West Hospital lowest Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 CELL BLOCK | $31.71 | $105.70 | $15.18–$94.34 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital lowest Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 CELL BLOCK | $31.71 | $105.70 | $15.18–$94.34 | 70% | — source file |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC GROSS & MICRO LEVEL IV | $72.50 | $250.00 | $20.75–$200.00 | 71% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 SURG PATH,LEVEL IV | $103.24 | $356.00 | $43.30–$356.00 | 71% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 SURGICAL LEVEL IV | $112.20 | $374.00 | $15.18–$94.34 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 SURGICAL LEVEL IV | $112.20 | $374.00 | $15.18–$94.34 | 70% | — source file |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 HC GROSS & MICRO LEVEL IV | $135.00 | $250.00 | $35.00–$200.00 | 46% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC G&M PROSTATE BIOPSY | $156.31 | $539.00 | $20.75–$431.20 | 71% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 SURG PATH,LEVEL IV | $192.24 | $356.00 | $43.30–$356.00 | 46% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 HC G&M PROSTATE BIOPSY | $291.06 | $539.00 | $35.00–$431.20 | 46% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $31.71, median $52.11, highest $135.00 — a 4.3× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $52.11 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 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
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.