Cataract Surgery Cost in Tennessee (2026)
Below-average pricing · Regional price parity: 94.2 · TN
What Drives Pricing Here
Three factors explain most of why cataract surgery costs what it does in Tennessee.
Regional Price Parity
Tennessee's cost-of-living index sits at 94.2 — meaningfully below the national benchmark (100). This directly scales facility and staffing overhead, which flow through to every procedure price.
Specialist Availability
37 facilities perform this procedure in Tennessee — competition keeps pricing honest and gives you real leverage to shop quotes.
Vs. National Benchmark
At -5.8% below the national average ($5,000), Tennessee is a discount market. Often driven by lower overhead or less metro concentration — quality can still be excellent.
Cataract Surgery in Tennessee: What to Know
Considering cataract surgery in Tennessee? Facilities like Vanderbilt Eye Institute perform approximately 4,000 procedures annually across Nashville, Franklin, Hendersonville, and Lebanon. In Knoxville, Tennessee Valley Eye Center performs over 7,000 cataract surgeries yearly, offering both traditional and custom options. Nashville's Loden Vision Centers specialize in laser cataract surgery with advanced IOLs, while Wang Vision 3D Cataract and LASIK Center was the first in Tennessee to offer laser cataract surgery.
To potentially reduce costs, consider ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) like the Eye Surgery Center of Middle Tennessee in Nashville or the Cataract and Laser Center in Crossville. These dedicated facilities often provide cataract surgery at a lower cost than hospital settings, with added convenience. Verify current pricing directly with providers.
Estimated Cost Breakdown in Tennessee
You'll pay a bit less for cataract surgery in Tennessee compared to the national average. Here's how costs are distributed.
Facility Fee
OR time and hospital staffing
Most significant cost
Surgeon Fee
Expertise and experience level
Implants & Supplies
Post-Op Care
Recovery and aftercare
Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist or CRNA fee
Total Estimated Cost
Tennessee all-in range
Financing Options
Many Tennessee clinics partner with CareCredit or Alphaeon. A typical 24-month, 0% APR term on $4,710 looks like:
- Soft credit check — no hard pull
- Instant approval decisions
- HSA/FSA eligible for qualifying cases
Prices reflect regional cost-of-living adjustments. How we calculate these numbers →
Ranges adjusted for Tennessee's regional price parity (94.2). See the national percentage breakdown →
Facility Costs in Tennessee
Below are the top facilities performing cataract surgery in Tennessee, ranked by volume. Rates shown are negotiated amounts from CMS Medicare data.
| Facility | City | Negotiated Rate | Medicare | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson-Madison County General Hospital | Jackson | $1,992 | $1,578 | 785 |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital | Lebanon | $1,905 | $1,507 | 489 |
| Maury Regional Hospital | Columbia | $1,914 | $1,516 | 358 |
| Morristown Hamblen Hospital Association | Morristown | $1,802 | $1,423 | 320 |
| Greeneville Community Hospital | Greeneville | $1,812 | $1,429 | 184 |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center | Nashville | $3,570 | $2,830 | 173 |
| Jackson-Madison County General Hospital | Jackson | $3,699 | $2,931 | 163 |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville | $3,553 | $2,816 | 160 |
| Erlanger Medical Center | Chattanooga | $3,545 | $2,814 | 133 |
| Hardin Medical Center | Savannah | $1,819 | $1,443 | 117 |
Cataract Surgery Cost in Nearby States
See how Tennessee's cataract surgery costs compare to neighboring states. Prices can vary significantly even across state lines.
Expert Answers for Tennessee Patients
Local regulations, insurance nuance, and surgical standards specific to Tennessee.
Compare Tennessee with any other state
See national pricing, all 50 state comparisons, and detailed cost factors in the main cataract surgery cost guide.
View full cataract surgery guideHow much does cataract surgery cost in Tennessee?
Will my health insurance pay for cataract surgery?
What should I look for in a Tennessee cataract surgery provider?
Can I save by getting cataract surgery in a neighboring state?
How soon can I get back to normal after cataract surgery?
Does Tennessee Medicaid cover cataract surgery?
Can I pay for cataract surgery with pre-tax health savings?
How we calculate cataract surgery costs in Tennessee
Cost estimates combine procedure-specific pricing data with regional cost-of-living and provider-supply adjustments. Primary sources:
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Hospital pricing transparency files — CMS-required machine-readable data published by hospitals under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency rule (effective January 2021). Provides actual negotiated rates between hospitals and insurers.
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HCUP (Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project) — AHRQ's HCUP databases provide nationally-representative procedure cost data by state, payer, and patient demographics.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics — Healthcare Practitioner Occupational Wages — BLS OEWS data on surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgical staff wages by state, used to model regional labor-cost differences in procedure pricing.
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BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis state-level price-level indices, used to adjust national procedure averages for Tennessee's cost-of-living relative to the national mean.
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FAIR Health Consumer Cost Lookup — the FAIR Health database aggregates billed and allowed amounts from over 36 billion claim records, providing a check on procedure-cost ranges by ZIP code.
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Medicare Provider Utilization & Payment Data — CMS public-use files on Medicare-allowed amounts and submitted charges by HCPCS/CPT code and state, used as a baseline for procedure-cost ranges.
Estimates are illustrative and reflect typical pricing ranges; actual costs depend on insurance coverage, surgical complexity, anesthesia type, hospital vs. ambulatory setting, and individual patient factors. Always confirm pricing directly with providers and your insurance carrier. See our methodology page for full calculation details.