Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) cost in Cincinnati, OH

Prices at 8 hospitals in Cincinnati, OH, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,387 — 87% above the US median ($1,278), roughly 8.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH $878 $922
Christ Hospital Cincinnati, OH $1,245 $866 ★ 5/5 163 min 14.0%
Good Samaritan Hospital Cincinnati, OH $2,266 ★ 4/5 157 min 14.3%
Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH $2,266 ★ 3/5 151 min 15.5%
Mercy Health-Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH $2,509 ★ 4/5 156 min 14.4%
The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH $2,509 ★ 4/5 138 min 15.6%
Mercy Health-West Hospital Cincinnati, OH $2,509 ★ 4/5 136 min 15.1%
University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Llc Cincinnati, OH $2,877 $1,439 ★ 3/5 276 min 15.9%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$3,601
Cash / self-pay
$2,387
Insurer-negotiated
$922
Medicare pays
$284
$1,135$2,619
Median cash $2,387  ·  Medicare $284  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,387 — about 8.4× the Medicare rate ($284). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,601 list price could save about $1,214 (34%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Ohio → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Cincinnati