Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Wisconsin

Prices at 82 hospitals in Wisconsin, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,311 — 5% above the US median ($1,250), roughly 4.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
St Croix Regional Medical Center Saint Croix Falls, WI $233 $174 ★ 3/5 139 min 14.5%
Burnett Medical Center Grantsburg, WI $346 15.3%
Westfields Hospital and Clinic New Richmond, WI $352 $546 ★ 4/5 108 min 14.9%
Sauk Prairie Hospital Prairie Du Sac, WI $382 $597 ★ 5/5 154 min 14.1%
Hudson Hospital Hudson, WI $398 $302 ★ 5/5 117 min 14.3%
Amery Hospital & Clinic Amery, WI $613 $428 ★ 2/5 116 min 14.5%
Vernon Memorial Hospital Viroqua, WI $678 $170 131 min 14.4%
Beloit Health System Beloit, WI $681 $1,203 ★ 3/5 122 min 15.5%
Holy Family Memorial Manitowoc, WI $756 $908 ★ 3/5 143 min 14.6%
Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County Darlington, WI $1,044 $613 103 min 14.9%
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls, WI $1,046 $1,234 ★ 5/5 96 min 14.0%
Richland Hospital Richland Center, WI $1,084 $288 ★ 1/5 90 min 15.4%
Aurora Medical Ctr Manitowoc County Two Rivers, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 5/5 113 min 14.8%
Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County Sheboygan, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 5/5 171 min 14.4%
Aurora Medical Ctr Washington County Hartford, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 4/5 124 min 15.7%
Aurora Memorial Hospital Burlington Burlington, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 4/5 186 min 15.2%
Aurora Lakeland Medical Center Elkhorn, WI $1,150 $1,946 ★ 5/5 150 min 14.9%
Aurora Medical Center Bay Area Marinette, WI $1,150 $1,900 ★ 4/5 131 min 15.7%
West Allis Memorial Hospital West Allis, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 4/5 182 min 15.3%
Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 4/5 177 min 14.4%
Aurora Medical Ctr Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 4/5 122 min 14.3%
Aurora Medical Center-Summit Summit, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 5/5 144 min 14.7%
Ascension All Saints Hospital Racine, WI $1,164 $754 ★ 2/5 148 min 14.1%
Ascension Se Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI $1,164 $720 ★ 5/5 119 min 13.6%
Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital Franklin, WI $1,164 $720 15.7%

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)
$2,300
Cash / self-pay
$1,311
Insurer-negotiated
$1,197
Medicare pays
$311
$734$2,373
Median cash $1,311  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,311 — 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 $2,300 list price could save about $989 (43%).

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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.

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