Prices at 5 hospitals in Milwaukee, WI, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,702 — 32% above the US median ($1,290), roughly 6.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin | Milwaukee, WI | $1,081 | $1,670 | — | — | — |
| Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital | Milwaukee, WI | $1,627 | $1,947 | ★ 3/5 | 275 min | 15.4% |
| Ascension Se Wisconsin Hospital | Milwaukee, WI | $1,776 | $988 | ★ 5/5 | 119 min | 13.6% |
| Ascension Columbia St Marys Hospital Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | $2,336 | $1,200 | ★ 3/5 | 165 min | 13.7% |
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 July 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 $1,702 — about 6.0× 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 $3,155 list price could save about $1,453 (46%).
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 Milwaukee
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danielle Bade, PA | Physician Assistant | Milwaukee, WI | 41 |
| Kelyn Levy, APNP | Nurse Practitioner | Milwaukee, WI | 40 |
| Marja Stehling, PA | Physician Assistant | Milwaukee, WI | 39 |
| Milan Joshi, M.D | Interventional Radiology | Milwaukee, WI | 31 |
| Rebecca Tetzlaff, APNP | Nurse Practitioner | Milwaukee, WI | 28 |
| Arthur Lee, PA | Physician Assistant | Milwaukee, WI | 26 |
| Devin Madenberg | Internal Medicine | Milwaukee, WI | 25 |
| Jenny Smith, PA | Physician Assistant | Milwaukee, WI | 25 |
| Leah Cotter, DO | Hospitalist | Milwaukee, WI | 24 |
| Joseph Puetz, MD | Internal Medicine | Milwaukee, WI | 20 |
| Matthew Ware | Physician Assistant | Milwaukee, WI | 19 |
| Sheila Swartz | Hospitalist | Milwaukee, WI | 18 |
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Wisconsin → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Milwaukee