Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Fort Worth, TX

Prices at 7 hospitals in Fort Worth, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $939 — 25% below the US median ($1,250), roughly 3.0× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX $939 $817 ★ 4/5 169 min 14.4%
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest F Fort Worth, TX $939 $806 ★ 5/5 182 min 13.8%
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance Fort Worth, TX $939 $809 ★ 5/5 185 min 13.9%
Wellbridge Healthcare Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX $3,047
Medical City Alliance Fort Worth, TX $6,614 $1,702 ★ 3/5 109 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)
$1,565
Cash / self-pay
$939
Insurer-negotiated
$1,260
Medicare pays
$311
$939$5,187
Median cash $939  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $939 — about 3.0× the Medicare rate ($311). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,565 list price could save about $626 (40%).

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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 Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Texas → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Fort Worth