Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Los Angeles, CA

Prices at 6 hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,033 — 63% above the US median ($1,250), roughly 6.5× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
California Hospital Medical Center La Los Angeles, CA $1,296 $786 ★ 2/5 254 min 15.4%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA $2,033 $751 ★ 5/5 15.2%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-West La Los Angeles, CA $2,033 $751 ★ 3/5 15.6%
East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles, CA $3,051 $1,177 ★ 1/5 179 min 14.9%
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $4,100 $11,386 ★ 5/5 369 min 14.3%

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)
$3,910
Cash / self-pay
$2,033
Insurer-negotiated
$981
Medicare pays
$311
$1,591$3,680
Median cash $2,033  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,033 — about 6.5× 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 $3,910 list price could save about $1,877 (48%).

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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 California → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Los Angeles