Prices at 16 hospitals in Chicago, IL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,122 — 9% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 3.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
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 October 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)
Typical cash price here is $1,122 — about 3.6× the Medicare rate ($311). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,400 list price could save about $1,277 (53%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Chicago
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Kapp, M.D. | Internal Medicine | Chicago, IL | 92 |
| Sean Smith, MD | Pulmonary Disease | Chicago, IL | 72 |
| Deborah Epstein, PA | Physician Assistant | Chicago, IL | 66 |
| Jacqueline Viau | Nurse Practitioner | Chicago, IL | 55 |
| Bruce Bell, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Chicago, IL | 50 |
| Christa Robins, P.A. | Physician Assistant | Chicago, IL | 43 |
| Basheeruddin Farooki, MD | Internal Medicine | Chicago, IL | 38 |
| Dennis Prohaska, D. O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Chicago, IL | 31 |
| Septimiu Murgu | Pulmonary Disease | Chicago, IL | 29 |
| Kalinee Alston, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Chicago, IL | 29 |
| Katherine Shipley, DNP, FNP-BC | Nurse Practitioner | Chicago, IL | 29 |
| Kamran Mahmood, M.D. | Pulmonary Disease | Chicago, IL | 28 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Illinois → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Chicago