Level 1 ER visit cost in Nashville, TN
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 21 hospitals list a cash price for emergency room visit, level 1 of 5, minor problem that may not need a doctor: from $105.43 to $1,217.71, with a median of $318.46. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery — $213.03 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $147.23 at 87 hospitals.
- The median here, $318.46, is 43% above the US median of $222.62.
- That is 3.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($86.15).
- Nashville, TN ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Tennessee by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 21 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 21 facilities across 18 cities for code 99281, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 31, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Oct 1, 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery lowest Nashville, TN EMR DPT VST MAYX REQ PHY/QHP File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $105.43 | — | $15.01–$584.01 | — |
| Macon Community Hospital Lafayette, TN · (615) 666-2147 99281 LEVEL 1 File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $158.52 | $264.20 | $33.83–$237.78 | 40% |
| Sumner Regional Medical Center Gallatin, TN · (615) 328-8888 Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $175.56 | $753.47 | $562.00 | 77% |
| Maury Regional Hospital Columbia, TN · (931) 381-1111 ER NURSING LEVEL I+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $176.30 | $430.00 | $166.41–$412.80 | 59% |
| Riverview Regional Medical Center Carthage, TN · (615) 735-9815 Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $204.60 | $627.61 | $219.00 | 67% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 ER CARE I+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $207.68 | $692.25 | $19.26–$692.25 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 ER CARE I+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $207.68 | $692.25 | $19.26–$692.25 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 ER CARE I+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $207.69 | $692.30 | $19.26–$692.30 | 70% |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC ER LEVEL I File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $216.05 | $745.00 | — | 71% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 99281 ER LEVEL 1 VISIT TechFee+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $261.60 | $436.00 | — | 40% |
| Trousdale Medical Center Hartsville, TN · (615) 374-2221 Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $318.46 | $753.47 | $226.12–$628.12 | 58% |
| Williamson Medical Center Franklin, TN · (615) 435-5000 EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT-MINIMAL File of Aug 1, 2026 · source file | $353.07 | $626.20 | $252.36–$594.89 | 44% |
| Tristar Ashland City Medical Center Ashland City, TN · (615) 792-3030 Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $479.28 | $479.28 | $33.83–$2,000.00 | — |
| Tristar Summit Medical Center Mt Juliet, TN · (615) 316-3000 LVL 1 EMER DEPT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $595.76 | $595.76 | $109.68–$524.27 | — |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 342-1000 LVL 1 EMER DEPT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $618.00 | $618.00 | $414.06 | — |
| Tristar Horizon Medical Center Dickson, TN · (615) 446-0446 LVL 1 EMER DEPT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $817.86 | $817.86 | $150.57–$752.43 | — |
| Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 769-2000 LVL 1 EMER DEPT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $857.99 | $857.99 | $157.96–$840.83 | — |
| Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center Smyrna, TN · (615) 768-2000 Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $952.49 | $952.49 | $175.35–$1,155.00 | — |
| Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center Hendersonville, TN · (615) 338-1000 LVL 1 EMER DEPT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $953.20 | $953.20 | $175.48–$876.94 | — |
| Tristar Northcrest Medical Center Springfield, TN · (615) 384-2411 LVL 1 EMER DEPT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,040.86 | $1,040.86 | $72.86–$1,155.00 | — |
| Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Antioch, TN · (615) 781-4000 LVL 1 EMER DEPT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,217.71 | $1,217.71 | $224.18–$1,071.58 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $105.43, median $318.46, highest $1,217.71 — a 11.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $207.69. 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 12 of 19 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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 level 1 ER visit is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Level 1 ER visit explained.