How to read the Tennessee IDR market
Tennessee accounts for 4.2% of national federal IDR dispute volume in the CMS public files. For a provider group, the useful comparison is rarely the national average. The better question is how a payer behaves in the same state, service mix, and specialty lane.
The tables below show the payer, code, and IDR entity mix that shape Tennessee disputes. Use them to spot where an underpaid out-of-network book may deserve a closer NSA workflow review.
Top payers in Tennessee federal IDR disputes
| Payer | Disputes | Provider win rate |
|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare | 41,920 | 88.2% |
| BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | 35,852 | 79.5% |
| Cigna | 28,025 | 83.7% |
| Cigna / MultiPlan | 18,035 | 81.3% |
| UMR (clearhs.com) | 3,923 | 85.7% |
| Cigna / Zelis | 2,892 | 78.9% |
| UMR (clearhealthcloud.com) | 2,755 | 89.5% |
| AMBETTER | 2,626 | 95.6% |
| BCBSTX | 1,569 | 90.3% |
| Aetna | 1,509 | 88.9% |
Top service codes in Tennessee
| Code | Service | Disputes | Provider win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99284 | Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires | 41,599 | 84.5% |
| 99285 | Emergency department visit, high severity, requiring urgent evaluation | 29,557 | 86.5% |
| 99283 | Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient. Modifier 57 ind | 13,594 | 83.7% |
| 80053 | Comprehensive metabolic panel (14 blood chemistry tests) | 8,884 | 81.2% |
| 85025 | Complete blood count (CBC) with automated differential | 8,082 | 81.3% |
| 36415 | Routine venipuncture (blood draw) | 7,438 | 82.4% |
| 93005 | Electrocardiogram (ECG) tracing only, without interpretation | 4,888 | 82.7% |
| 74177 | CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with IV contrast | 4,501 | 82.3% |
| 99291 | Critical care, first 30-74 minutes | 4,193 | 89.7% |
| 84484 | Troponin blood test (cardiac injury marker), quantitative | 4,044 | 80% |
Certified IDR entity mix
| Certified IDR entity | Disputes | Provider win rate | Median award |
|---|---|---|---|
| C2C Innovative Solutions, Inc. | 6,455 | 87.2% | 2.9x |
| iMPROve Health | 4,810 | 91.9% | 3.4x |
| Federal Hearings and Appeals Services, Inc. | 3,358 | 86.5% | 3.0x |
| Provider Resources, Inc. | 3,065 | 92.5% | 2.6x |
| EdiPhy Advisors, L.L.C. | 2,260 | 92.7% | 3.0x |
| MCMC Services, LLC | 2,120 | 92.3% | 3.2x |
| Island Peer Review Organization | 2,075 | 97.8% | 3.5x |
| National Medical Reviews, Inc. | 1,972 | 80.2% | 2.6x |
Filing checklist before you take Tennessee claims to IDR
- Confirm the claim is NSA-eligible: emergency care, or out-of-network care at an in-network facility, with no state arbitration law that displaces the federal process for that plan type.
- Start open negotiation within 30 business days of the initial payment or denial notice. The negotiation window then runs 30 business days.
- If negotiation fails, initiate federal IDR through the portal within 4 business days after the window closes.
- Batch same-payer items in the same service code category. Open negotiation periods starting on or after November 1, 2026 can batch up to 50 line items per dispute, up from 25.
- Budget for fees: the federal administrative fee is $15 per party for disputes initiated on or after June 11, 2026 (down from $115), and the non-prevailing party pays the certified IDR entity fee.
- Anchor your offer to the data: the Tennessee median provider-won award is 3.0x QPA across 141,730 disputes.
The fee and batching changes come from the May 2026 federal IDR operations final rule. See the 2026 and 2027 No Surprises Act changes guide for the full timeline, or request a free NSA audit to see how your claims compare.
Open the live Tennessee dashboard
Filter Tennessee disputes by specialty, payer, and year to compare the public benchmark with your own out-of-network payment experience.
FAQ
How many federal IDR disputes are in Tennessee?
The Tennessee page currently shows 141,730 CMS disputes in the benchmark dataset.
What is the provider win rate in Tennessee?
The non-default provider win rate in Tennessee is 84.1% in this dataset.
Why can Tennessee differ from national IDR averages?
State, payer, service-code mix, and routing rules can change the economics of a dispute. That is why state-specific benchmarks are more useful than a national number.
How do I start a federal IDR case for a Tennessee claim?
Start open negotiation within 30 business days of the initial payment or denial. If it fails, initiate IDR through the federal portal within 4 business days. Tennessee providers should also confirm whether a state arbitration law controls the claim before filing.
Related benchmarks
Sources and method
Providers won 85.8% of 3.39 million federal IDR disputes through 2025Q4, with a median provider-won award of 4.7x the qualifying payment amount, per CMS public use files.
- CMS: Federal IDR reports and public use files
- CMS: Federal IDR operations final rule fact sheet
- CMS: Federal IDR timeline for claims
Data source: CMS Federal IDR public use files, coverage through 2025Q4; data build 2026-09-24. Counts are CMS dispute counts unless a table says line items. Win rates on this page exclude payer no-show defaults unless labeled otherwise. Award multiples are medians versus the qualifying payment amount (QPA). Dollar figures, where shown, come from CMS QPA-and-offer fields or are anchored estimates, not payment records. This page is informational, not legal or reimbursement advice.