Prices at 8 hospitals in Cincinnati, OH, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,523 — 104% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 8.1× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center | Cincinnati, OH | $432 | $277 | — | — | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | $1,688 | — | ★ 4/5 | 157 min | — |
| Bethesda North | Cincinnati, OH | $1,688 | — | ★ 3/5 | 155 min | — |
| Christ Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | $1,718 | $571 | ★ 5/5 | 172 min | — |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Llc | Cincinnati, OH | $3,328 | $871 | ★ 3/5 | 250 min | — |
| Mercy Health-West Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | $3,412 | $622 | ★ 4/5 | 142 min | — |
| Mercy Health-Anderson Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | $3,532 | $1,610 | ★ 4/5 | 159 min | — |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health | Cincinnati, OH | $3,651 | $611 | ★ 4/5 | 140 min | — |
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 $2,523 — about 8.1× 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 $4,205 list price could save about $1,682 (40%).
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 Cincinnati
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirsten Babcock, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Cincinnati, OH | 31 |
| Jocelyn Santiago, APRN | Nurse Practitioner | Cincinnati, OH | 19 |
| Julian Guitron-Roig, MD | Thoracic Surgery | Cincinnati, OH | 17 |
| Benjamin Carrle, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Cincinnati, OH | 15 |
| Christopher Cates, MD | Pulmonary Disease | Cincinnati, OH | 13 |
| Christopher Orabella, M.D. | Critical Care (Intensivists) | Cincinnati, OH | 13 |
| Patrick Kosciuk, M.D. | Pulmonary Disease | Cincinnati, OH | 12 |
| Kiranmayee Lanka, M.D., M.P.H | Critical Care (Intensivists) | Cincinnati, OH | 12 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Ohio → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Cincinnati