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County Price & Affordability Audit 4 of 7 Hospitals Priced Pop. 487,401 $71,662 Median Income

Knox County, TN Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 7 mapped hospitals in Knox County.

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
0.95×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price5% Below Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Typical commercial prices here are 5% below the fair benchmark (0.95×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Knox County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Knox County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.4 of 7 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced4 of 7Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Knox County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 7 local facilities.
Median Income$71.7k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Knox County ($71,662/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate8.4%Percentage of Knox County residents without health insurance who rely on self-pay cash discounts and 501(r) nonprofit hospital financial assistance.

Local charity-care income cutoffs (200%–400% FPL): up to $31,920 (single) and $128,600 (family of 4) qualify for free or discounted hospital care.

County Hospital Pricing & Affordability Audit4 of 7 Local Hospitals Priced

Knox County, TN Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Knox County, Tennessee (pop. 487,401) has 7 CMS-certified hospitals (4 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.95× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $71,662 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.95× Fair MarketMedian Income: $71,662/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Knox County

  • 4 of 7 hospitals in Knox County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Parkwest Medical Center, University Health System, Inc, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center).
  • High-rated local clinical care: University Health System, Inc (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Knox County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Knox County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 3 facilities in Knox County (East Tennessee Childrens Hospital, East Tennessee Behavioral Health) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 8.4% local uninsured rate and $71,662 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.6 weeks of typical Knox County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Tennessee counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage57% Published
4 of 7 Hospitals

Includes Parkwest Medical Center & University Health System, Inc.

Free Care Income Cutoff (200% FPL)Nonprofit 501(r) Rule
$31,920 – $64,300

Single ($31,920) to Family of 4 ($64,300) threshold for 100% free charity care.

Discounted Care Cutoff (400% FPL)AGB Billing Cap
Up to $128,600/yr

4-person household income cap qualifying for statutory AGB billing limits in Knox County.

Tennessee County Price & Affordability Heatmap 60 of 95 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Tennessee County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 95 counties in Tennessee

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Davidson County7hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $76k
Knox County4hosps
0.95× Fair
Income $72k
Sullivan County4hosps
1.13× Fair
Income $57k
Hamilton County3hosps
1.00× Fair
Income $73k
Shelby County3hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $62k
Madison County2hosps
0.72× Fair
Income $58k
Anderson County2hosps
0.76× Fair
Income $63k
Washington County2hosps
0.92× Fair
Income $61k
Rutherford County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $83k
Maury County2hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $74k
Sumner County2hosps
1.23× Fair
Income $86k
Putnam County1hosp
0.66× Fair
Income $57k
Williamson County1hosp
0.82× Fair
Income $131k
Haywood County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $44k
Cannon County1hosp
0.85× Fair
Income $58k
Jefferson County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $63k
White County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $52k
DeKalb County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $48k
Greene County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $54k
Carter County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $48k
Cocke County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $48k
Henry County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $49k
Bradley County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $64k
Lincoln County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $63k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 95 total in Tennessee

All Hospitals in Knox County (7)

Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.

MRF Compliance: 4 of 7 Published

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