ER Visit Cost in Knoxville, TN

How much does a er visit cost without insurance in Knoxville?

Cash prices for 99283 (Level 3) are $225 at Parkwest, $247.50 at Fort Loudoun, Fort Sanders Regional, Methodist Oak Ridge, and Roane Medical Center, $366.63 at Tennova Turkey Creek, $381.63 at Tennova North Knoxville, $454.92 at LaFollette, and $1,110.50 at UT Medical Center. For 99284 (Level 4), prices run from $300 at Parkwest to $3,901.88 at UT Medical Center. For 99285 (Level 5), they run from $343.20 at Parkwest to $3,901.88 at UT Medical Center. The overall range is $225 to $3,901.88. These are facility fees; physician and professional fees are billed separately.

Why is the gross charge so much higher than the cash price?

The gross charge is the hospital's chargemaster price, a full list price that almost no one pays. Cash prices are set well below it. At Parkwest, cash is 30% of gross ($225 of $750 for 99283). At Tennova Turkey Creek, cash is 22% of gross ($366.63 of $1,684.88). At UT Medical Center, cash is 25% of gross ($1,110.50 of $4,442). Tennova Turkey Creek and UT Medical Center both apply larger percentage discounts than Parkwest, yet their cash prices are higher because their starting gross charges are higher.

Does insurance cover a er visit?

Coverage depends on your plan and whether the visit meets the plan's medical necessity criteria. Negotiated rates vary widely. For code 99283, insured rates range from $53.71 to $41,415.66, depending on the payer and plan type. Prior authorization requirements generally apply to scheduled, non-emergency services; plan rules for emergency care differ and are set in your plan documents. If you have a high-deductible plan and have not met your deductible, you owe the negotiated rate for the visit, not the gross charge. Your insurer can confirm your specific cost-sharing.

Are there additional fees beyond the er visit facility charge?

Yes. The prices listed are hospital facility fees, which cover the room, equipment, and staff. The emergency physician who evaluates you typically bills a separate professional fee. Other services during a visit, such as imaging, laboratory tests, medications, or procedures, are billed separately, and imaging studies often carry a separate radiologist's reading fee. Services performed in the emergency department also incur their own ER facility fees. These additional charges are not included in the prices in this dataset, and no dollar amounts are listed here because they are not in the source data.

What is the cash price for an ER visit at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville?

Parkwest Medical Center lists cash prices of $225 for level 3 (99283), $300 for level 4 (99284) and $343.20 for level 5 (99285). Each is 30% of the gross charge. These are facility charges only, and every row at this hospital has a published cash price.

What is the self-pay price for 99284 at The University of Tennessee Medical Center?

The University of Tennessee Medical Center lists a cash price of $3,901.88 for 99284, the highest cash price on this page. That is 25% of its $15,607.50 gross charge. The figure is a facility charge only and does not include other bills tied to the visit.

Which Knoxville hospital has the lowest published gross charge for an ER visit?

Fort Loudoun Medical Center lists the lowest gross charge on this page, $750 for 99283. Several other Covenant Health hospitals list the same $750. The highest gross charge is $15,607.50 at The University of Tennessee Medical Center for 99284. All figures are facility charges only.

How much do TennCare and BlueCare pay for a level 5 ER visit at The University of Tennessee Medical Center?

For 99285 at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the page shows TennCare Select at $128.51 and BlueCare PCP at $130.81, the lowest entries among 335 published rates. The highest entries are $15,607.50 for Prime Health Workers Comp. These are facility rates only.

Is the cash price ever lower than insurance rates for an ER visit in Knoxville?

Yes. In 11 rows, cash is below every insured rate at that hospital. At Fort Loudoun Medical Center, 99284 cash is $330 while insured rates start at $408. No row has cash above every insured rate. All figures are facility charges only.