Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) cost in Maryland

Prices at 6 hospitals in Maryland, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,253 — about the US median ($1,278), roughly 4.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Holy Cross Germantown Hospital Germantown, MD $225 $225 ★ 1/5 233 min —
Greater Baltimore Medical Center Baltimore, MD $594 $267 ★ 5/5 228 min —
Mercy Medical Center Inc Baltimore, MD $1,912 — ★ 3/5 237 min —
VA Maryland Healthcare System-Baltimore Baltimore, MD $1,912 — ★ 2/5 — —
Atlantic General Hospital Berlin, MD $3,763 $3,763 ★ 3/5 147 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$1,272
Cash / self-pay
$1,253
Insurer-negotiated
$267
Medicare pays
$284
$181$2,837
Median cash $1,253  ·  Medicare $284  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,253 — about 4.4× 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 $1,272 list price could save about $20 (2%).

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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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Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) cost in other states

All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Maryland →