Critical care (first hour) cost in Nashville, TN
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 21 hospitals list a cash price for critical care, first 30 to 74 minutes: from $976.02 to $13,959.56, with a median of $3,161.06. The lowest listed price is at Saint Thomas West Hospital and 2 other hospitals — $2,185.04 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $1,213.08 at 87 hospitals.
- The median here, $3,161.06, is 57% above the US median of $2,018.81.
- That is 3.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($843.92).
- 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 99291, 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 West Hospital lowest Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 CRITICAL CARE 30 TO 74 MIN+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $976.02 | $3,253.40 | $326.00–$1,483.00 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital lowest Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 CRITICAL CARE 30 TO 74 MIN+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $976.02 | $3,253.40 | $326.00–$1,483.00 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital lowest Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 CRITICAL CARE 30 TO 74 MIN+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $976.02 | $3,253.40 | $326.00–$1,483.00 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery Nashville, TN CRITICAL CARE FIRST HOUR File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $1,032.79 | — | $416.46–$584.01 | — |
| Macon Community Hospital Lafayette, TN · (615) 666-2147 99291 CRITICAL CARE 3074 File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $1,516.68 | $2,527.80 | $426.00–$2,275.02 | 40% |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC ER CRITICAL CARE 30-74 MIN File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $1,675.33 | $5,777.00 | — | 71% |
| Sumner Regional Medical Center Gallatin, TN · (615) 328-8888 Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $1,742.66 | $7,479.23 | $1,710.00 | 77% |
| Maury Regional Hospital Columbia, TN · (931) 381-1111 ED CRITICAL CARE 30-74 MIN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,943.81 | $4,741.00 | $1,834.77–$4,551.36 | 59% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 99291 TRAUMA ALERT CLASS 1 File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,048.40 | $3,414.00 | — | 40% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 Critical Care Ill/Injured Patient Init 30-74 Min 99291+2 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,151.00 | $3,585.00 | — | 40% |
| Riverview Regional Medical Center Carthage, TN · (615) 735-9815 Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $2,438.23 | $7,479.23 | $1,196.68–$7,479.23 | 67% |
| Trousdale Medical Center Hartsville, TN · (615) 374-2221 Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $3,161.06 | $7,479.23 | $2,244.54–$6,234.84 | 58% |
| Williamson Medical Center Franklin, TN · (615) 435-5000 ER RM VISIT CRIT/CARE 30-74+1 more line at this price File of Aug 1, 2026 · source file | $3,366.51 | $5,970.80 | $2,406.23–$5,672.26 | 44% |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC COMBO - 99291 + TRAUMA ACT LVL 1 W/O NOTIF, LVL 3 TRAUMA FACILITY (REGIONAL HOSPITAL) File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $4,870.84 | $16,796.00 | — | 71% |
| Tristar Ashland City Medical Center Ashland City, TN · (615) 792-3030 Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $5,557.53 | $5,557.53 | $216.48–$5,749.00 | — |
| Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Antioch, TN · (615) 781-4000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $5,767.89 | $5,767.89 | $1,061.87–$5,075.74 | — |
| Tristar Summit Medical Center Mt Juliet, TN · (615) 316-3000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,506.48 | $6,506.48 | $1,197.84–$5,725.70 | — |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 342-1000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,944.40 | $6,944.40 | $1,278.46–$6,944.40 | — |
| Tristar Northcrest Medical Center Springfield, TN · (615) 384-2411 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $7,256.00 | $7,256.00 | $507.92–$5,949.92 | — |
| Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center Hendersonville, TN · (615) 338-1000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $8,418.18 | $8,418.18 | $1,549.79–$7,744.73 | — |
| Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center Smyrna, TN · (615) 768-2000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $9,107.34 | $9,107.34 | $303.07–$8,378.75 | — |
| Tristar Horizon Medical Center Dickson, TN · (615) 446-0446 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $9,341.25 | $9,341.25 | $1,719.72–$8,593.95 | — |
| Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville, TN · (615) 769-2000 CRIT CARE 1ST 30-74 MINS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $13,959.56 | $13,959.56 | $2,569.95–$13,680.37 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $976.02, median $3,161.06, highest $13,959.56 — a 14.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $1,675.33. 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 9 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 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 critical care (first hour) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Critical care (first hour) explained.