Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) cost in Montana

Prices at 14 hospitals in Montana, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,007 — 22% below the US median ($1,290), roughly 3.5× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
St Peters Health Helena, MT $269 $225 ★ 3/5 178 min 14.3%
Sidney Health Center Sidney, MT $320 $491 ★ 3/5 152 min 14.7%
Roosevelt Medical Center Culbertson, MT $602 $841 94 min
Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital Bozeman, MT $666 $925 ★ 4/5 142 min 14.4%
St Luke Community Hospital Ronan, MT $672 $535 110 min 15.1%
Big Horn Hospital Hardin, MT $1,003 $1,097 140 min
Billings Clinic Billings, MT $1,011 ★ 4/5 172 min 14.2%
Billings Clinic Broadwater Townsend, MT $1,011 81 min
Community Medical Center Missoula, MT $1,232 $1,745 ★ 3/5 128 min 15.2%
Clark Fork Valley Hospital Plains, MT $1,326 $907 153 min 14.7%
Deer Lodge Medical Center Deer Lodge, MT $1,567 $1,654 118 min 15.3%
Great Falls Clinic Hospital Great Falls, MT $2,706 $1,337 ★ 2/5 136 min 15.0%

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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$1,011
Cash / self-pay
$1,007
Insurer-negotiated
$925
Medicare pays
$284
$348$1,543
Median cash $1,007  ·  Medicare $284  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,007 — about 3.5× 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 $1,011 list price could save about $4 (0%).

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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.

Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) cost in other states

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