Open Heart Surgery Cost in Tennessee (2026)
Slightly below the national average · RPP 94.2 · TN
What Drives Pricing Here
Three factors explain most of why open heart 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
14 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 ($150,000), Tennessee is a discount market. Often driven by lower overhead or less metro concentration — quality can still be excellent.
Open Heart Surgery in Tennessee: What to Know
Tennessee offers exceptional open-heart surgery options. Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute in Nashville is a top-ranked program, leading the nation in advanced procedures and boasting one of the largest heart transplant programs. Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Murfreesboro recently began performing open-heart surgeries, addressing a significant local need, while Covenant Health in East Tennessee has surgeons with over 30,000 successful open-heart procedures.
To potentially reduce costs, consider facilities in cities like Murfreesboro, which recently expanded its cardiac surgery offerings. While Tennessee's average cost is already below the national average, exploring options across different regions within the state or even nearby states like Georgia, where Chattanooga Heart Institute also serves, could be beneficial. Verify current pricing directly with providers.
Estimated Cost Breakdown in Tennessee
You'll pay a bit less for open heart surgery in Tennessee compared to the national average. Here's how costs are distributed.
Hospital Stay
Per-night inpatient cost
Most significant cost
Surgeon Fee
Expertise and experience level
Implants & Supplies
Operating Room
OR and equipment time
Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist or CRNA fee
Post-Op Care
Recovery and aftercare
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 $141,300 looks like:
- Soft credit check — no hard pull
- Instant approval decisions
- HSA/FSA eligible for qualifying cases
Cost estimates are adjusted for regional pricing. See how we calculate state-level costs →
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 open heart surgery in Tennessee, ranked by volume. Rates shown are negotiated amounts from CMS Medicare data.
| Facility | City | Negotiated Rate | Medicare | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville | $99,019 | $74,654 | 53 |
| Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital | Nashville | $65,779 | $58,587 | 53 |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center | Nashville | $74,416 | $45,434 | 35 |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital | Memphis | $67,674 | $42,259 | 30 |
| Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital | Nashville | $78,162 | $67,878 | 27 |
| Memorial Healthcare System, Inc | Chattanooga | $58,852 | $45,458 | 22 |
| Parkwest Medical Center | Knoxville | $65,760 | $49,492 | 21 |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville | $111,187 | $73,708 | 19 |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center | Nashville | $74,712 | $63,001 | 19 |
| Methodist Hospitals Of Memphis | Memphis | $59,755 | $49,868 | 18 |
Open Heart Surgery Cost in Nearby States
Neighboring states offer a range of open heart surgery pricing. Tennessee falls in the middle of the pack.
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 open heart surgery cost guide.
View full open heart surgery guideWhat is the average price of open heart surgery in Tennessee?
Will my health insurance pay for open heart surgery?
What's the recovery time for open heart surgery?
What payment options exist for open heart surgery in Tennessee?
How do I compare open heart surgery facilities in Tennessee?
Can I save by getting open heart surgery in a neighboring state?
Is open heart surgery covered under Tennessee's Medicaid program?
How we calculate open heart 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.