Nutrition counseling cost in Austin, TX
In Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 18 hospitals list a cash price for nutrition counseling (medical nutrition therapy), first visit, 15 minutes: from $17.55 to $57.49, with a median of $34.41. The lowest listed price is at Ascension Seton Smithville — $16.86 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $50.27 at 224 hospitals.
- The median here, $34.41, is 34% below the US median of $52.20.
- That is 0.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($36.74).
- Austin, TX ranks 2nd of 4 metro areas in Texas by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 10 cities for code 97802, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 11, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 2, 2024 and Oct 30, 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Seton Smithville lowest Smithville, TX · (512) 237-3214 NUTRITION ASSESS /15 MIN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $17.55 | $48.75 | $33.22–$33.54 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Hays Kyle, TX · (512) 324-5000 NUTRITION ASSESS /15 MIN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $22.77 | $63.25 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Southwest Austin, TX · (512) 324-9000 INIT ASSESSMENT+8 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $26.01 | $72.25 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Northwest Austin, TX · (512) 324-6000 INIT ASSESS DETAILED+8 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $26.01 | $72.25 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Hays Kyle, TX · (512) 324-5000 NUTRITION 9WKPRGM-SMCW+4 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $26.01 | $72.25 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Tx Austin, TX · (512) 324-7000 INIT ASSESS FOCUSED+5 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $26.01 | $72.25 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin Austin, TX · (512) 324-1000 NUTRITION ASSESS /15 MIN+8 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $26.01 | $72.25 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Hays Kyle, TX · (512) 324-5000 NUTRITION ASSESS+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $27.00 | $75.00 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Smithville Smithville, TX · (512) 237-3214 NUTRITION ASSESS File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $27.00 | $75.00 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Edgar B Davis Luling, TX · (830) 875-7000 NUTRITION, INITIAL ASSESS IND File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $28.98 | $80.50 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Texas Children's Hospital - Austin Austin, TX · (832) 824-1100 TC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY, INITIAL ASSESS, INDVID, FACE TO FACE, EA 15 MIN+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 5, 2026 · source file | $32.16 | $48.00 | $12.96–$45.60 | 33% |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX NUTRITION ASSESS /15 MIN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $34.13 | $48.75 | $33.22–$33.54 | 30% |
| The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center Austin, TX · (512) 327-0000 NUTRI ASSESS X15MIN File of Sep 2, 2024 · source file | $34.69 | $218.73 | $31.54–$164.21 | 84% |
| Ascension Seton Smithville Smithville, TX · (512) 237-3214 NUTRITION, INITIAL ASSESS IND File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $41.22 | $114.50 | $33.22–$59.17 | 64% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock Round Rock, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY - INITIAL 15 MIN File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $50.27 | $83.79 | $16.76–$127.67 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lakeway Lakeway, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY - INITIAL 15 MIN File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $50.27 | $83.79 | $16.76–$127.67 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Buda Buda, TX · (737) 999-6200 HC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY - INITIAL 15 MIN File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $50.27 | $83.79 | $10.05–$127.67 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville Pflugerville, TX · (512) 654-6100 HC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY - INITIAL 15 MIN File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $50.27 | $83.79 | $9.22–$127.67 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Austin Austin, TX · (512) 654-2100 HC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY - INITIAL 15 MIN File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $50.27 | $83.79 | $15.92–$127.67 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Emergency Medical Center - Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY - INITIAL 15 MIN File of Jun 3, 2026 · source file | $50.27 | $83.79 | $46.08–$54.46 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Taylor Taylor, TX · (512) 352-7611 HC MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY - INITIAL 15 MIN File of Oct 30, 2026 · source file | $52.28 | $87.14 | $16.56–$132.17 | 40% |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX NUTRITION ASSESS File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $52.50 | $75.00 | $33.22–$59.17 | 30% |
| Ascension Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX · (512) 528-7000 MNT INITIAL EA 15 MN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $57.49 | $159.69 | $33.22–$143.59 | 64% |
| Ascension Seton Austin, TX NUTRITION, INITIAL ASSESS IND File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $80.15 | $114.50 | $33.22–$59.17 | 30% |
Outpatient: lowest $17.55, median $34.41, highest $57.49 — a 3.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $50.27. 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 17 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 7 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 nutrition counseling is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Nutrition counseling explained.