Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Tacoma, WA

Prices at 4 hospitals in Tacoma, WA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,302 — 4% above the US median ($1,250), roughly 4.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA $851 $1,454 ★ 3/5 212 min 14.2%
Tacoma General Allenmore Hospital Tacoma, WA $1,302 $1,373 ★ 2/5 210 min 15.1%
Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Tacoma, WA $1,706 $2,778

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)
$3,255
Cash / self-pay
$1,302
Insurer-negotiated
$1,611
Medicare pays
$311
$941$1,626
Median cash $1,302  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,302 — about 4.2× 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 $3,255 list price could save about $1,953 (60%).

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 Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Washington → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Tacoma