Prices at 4 hospitals in Knoxville, TN, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $447 — 65% below the US median ($1,278), roughly 1.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System, Inc | Knoxville, TN | $360 | $865 | ★ 4/5 | 249 min | — |
| East Tennessee Childrens Hospital | Knoxville, TN | $360 | $865 | — | — | — |
| Parkwest Medical Center | Knoxville, TN | $533 | $1,245 | ★ 3/5 | 259 min | — |
| Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center | Knoxville, TN | $551 | $899 | ★ 3/5 | 234 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 $447 — about 1.6× the Medicare rate ($284). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,610 list price could save about $1,163 (72%).
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 Knoxville
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley Pollard, MD | Radiation Oncology | Knoxville, TN | 48 |
| Matthew Ramsey, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Knoxville, TN | 42 |
| James Irwin, FNP-C | Nurse Practitioner | Knoxville, TN | 41 |
| Bobby Stiles, NP | Nurse Practitioner | Knoxville, TN | 40 |
| Christopher Stephens, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Knoxville, TN | 40 |
| Donald Walker, MD | Interventional Radiology | Knoxville, TN | 39 |
| Gregory Minwell, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Knoxville, TN | 27 |
| Sarah Beason, AGACNP-BC | Nurse Practitioner | Knoxville, TN | 23 |
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Tennessee → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Knoxville