Prices at 3 hospitals in Fresno, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,559 — 100% above the US median ($1,278), roughly 9.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno Surgical Hospital | Fresno, CA | $1,584 | $1,259 | — | — | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Fresno | Fresno, CA | $2,559 | $1,190 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Saint Agnes Medical Center | Fresno, CA | $2,595 | $138 | ★ 2/5 | 240 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 $2,559 — about 9.0× the Medicare rate ($284). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,349 list price could save about $790 (24%).
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 Fresno
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Post, NP | Nurse Practitioner | Fresno, CA | 275 |
| Paul Speece, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Fresno, CA | 228 |
| Chandrasekar Venugopal, MD | Interventional Radiology | Fresno, CA | 161 |
| Chanh Nguyen, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Fresno, CA | 105 |
| Jeffrey Saavedra, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Fresno, CA | 102 |
| Ashkan Heshmatzadeh Behzadi, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Fresno, CA | 43 |
| Lynda Francis, NP | Nurse Practitioner | Fresno, CA | 34 |
| Benjamin Pruett, D.O. | Interventional Radiology | Fresno, CA | 24 |
| Puneet Rana, MD, MS | Diagnostic Radiology | Fresno, CA | 15 |
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in California → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Fresno