Nutrition counseling cost in Lancaster, PA
In Lancaster, PA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for nutrition counseling (medical nutrition therapy), first visit, 15 minutes: from $35.20 to $50.40, with a median of $48.99. The lowest listed price is at Ephrata Community Hospital — $13.79 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $43.78 at 54 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 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 — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Lancaster, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephrata Community Hospital lowest Ephrata, PA · (717) 733-0311 Therapy Procedure for Nutrition Management, Each 15 Minutes | $35.20 | $44.00 | $7.74–$139.13 | 20% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA · (223) 287-9000 97802 TELEMED NUTR THERAPY INIT Tech | $48.99 | $169.00 | $21.83–$135.20 | 71% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA · (223) 287-9000 97802 MEDICAL NUTRITION INDIV IN Tech | $48.99 | $169.00 | $21.83–$135.20 | 71% | — source file |
| UPMC Lititz Lititz, PA · (717) 625-2000 HC MED NUTR THPY INIT 15 MIN | $50.40 | $84.00 | $11.26–$115.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Lititz Lititz, PA · (717) 625-2000 TELEHLTH MED NUTR THPY INIT 15 MIN | $50.40 | $84.00 | $11.26–$115.00 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $35.20, median $48.99, highest $50.40 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $48.99. 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 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
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.