Nutrition counseling cost in Nashville, TN
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 4 hospitals list a cash price for nutrition counseling (medical nutrition therapy), first visit, 15 minutes: from $23.82 to $54.00, with a median of $28.80. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas West Hospital — $4.98 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $23.00 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 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 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 MNT 1/4 HR INDIV | $23.82 | $79.40 | $22.70–$76.31 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital lowest Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 MNT 1/4 HR INDIV | $23.82 | $79.40 | $22.70–$76.31 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 TELEHL MNT INIT FACE2FACE CONS | $25.07 | $83.55 | $22.70–$82.95 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 TELEHL MNT INIT FACE2FACE CONS | $25.07 | $83.55 | $22.70–$82.95 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 MNT INITIAL FACETOFACE CONSULT | $25.07 | $83.55 | $22.70–$82.95 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 MNT INITIAL FACETOFACE CONSULT | $25.07 | $83.55 | $22.70–$82.95 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 MNT 1/4 HR INDIV | $28.59 | $95.30 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 MNT 1/4 HR INDIV | $28.59 | $95.30 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 MED NUTR THER, 1ST, INDIV, EA 15 MIN | $29.00 | $100.00 | $15.65–$100.00 | 71% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC NUTRITION THRPY EVAL 15 MIN | $29.87 | $103.00 | $29.78–$82.40 | 71% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 MNT INITIAL ASSESSMENT-15 MIN | $30.08 | $100.25 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 MNT INITIAL ASSESSMENT-15 MIN | $30.08 | $100.25 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 TELEHLTH MNT 1/4 HR IND DIAB | $30.08 | $100.25 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 TELEHLTH MNT 1/4 HR IND DIAB | $30.08 | $100.25 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 OP DIET INSTRUCTION-15 MIN | $30.08 | $100.25 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 OP DIET INSTRUCTION-15 MIN | $30.08 | $100.25 | $22.70–$89.59 | 70% | — source file |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 MED NUTR THER, 1ST, INDIV, EA 15 MIN | $54.00 | $100.00 | $15.65–$100.00 | 46% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 322-3454 HC NUTRITION THRPY EVAL 15 MIN | $55.62 | $103.00 | $29.78–$82.40 | 46% | Oct 1, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $23.82, median $28.80, highest $54.00 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $28.80. 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 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
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.