Nutrition counseling cost in Knoxville, TN
In Knoxville, TN, 3 hospitals list a cash price for nutrition counseling (medical nutrition therapy), first visit, 15 minutes: from $12.90 to $14.19, with a median of $14.19. The lowest listed price is at Parkwest Medical Center — $1.29 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $23.00 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 97802, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Aug 5, 2026 and Aug 5, 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 MNT INITIAL IND EA 15 MIN | $12.90 | $43.00 | $16.51–$283.00 | 70% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Roane County Medical Center Harriman, TN · (865) 316-1000 MNT INITIAL IND EACH 15 MIN | $14.19 | $43.00 | $16.51–$283.00 | 67% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
| Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Knoxville, TN · (865) 541-1101 MNT INITIAL IND EACH 15 MIN | $14.19 | $43.00 | $16.51–$283.00 | 67% | Aug 5, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $12.90, median $14.19, highest $14.19 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $14.19. 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 3 of 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 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
Medical nutrition therapy is counseling by a registered dietitian for conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease.
What the price covers
The price is for one 15-minute unit; a session usually includes several units and codes.