Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) cost in North Carolina

Prices at 69 hospitals in North Carolina, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,275 — about the US median ($1,278), roughly 4.5× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
UNC Lenoir Health Care Kinston, NC $298 $496 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Elkin, NC $313 $412 ★ 3/5 168 min —
Lexington Memorial Hospital Inc Lexington, NC $455 $393 ★ 2/5 154 min —
Vidant Duplin Hospital Kenansville, NC $456 $561 ★ 3/5 170 min —
The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc Nags Head, NC $465 $535 ★ 4/5 208 min —
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Raleigh, NC $472 $801 ★ 4/5 204 min —
Wakemed, Cary Hospital Cary, NC $472 $758 ★ 5/5 196 min —
ECU Health Medical Center Greenville, NC $473 $535 ★ 2/5 289 min —
Vidant Chowan Hospital Edenton, NC $473 $535 ★ 3/5 164 min —
Duke University Hospital Durham, NC $563 $512 ★ 5/5 317 min —
Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC $563 $365 ★ 1/5 190 min —
Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC $563 $512 ★ 5/5 255 min —
Vidant Edgecombe Hospital Tarboro, NC $605 $692 ★ 3/5 239 min —
Catawba Valley Medical Center Hickory, NC $703 $330 ★ 2/5 228 min —
Alamance Regional Medical Center Burlington, NC $768 $422 ★ 3/5 228 min —
Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, The Greensboro, NC $768 $458 ★ 3/5 224 min —
Dlp Swain County Hospital Llc Bryson City, NC $852 — — 81 min —
UNC Health Care Wayne Goldsboro, NC $917 $988 ★ 3/5 190 min —
High Point Regional Health System High Point, NC $938 $757 ★ 2/5 247 min —
ECU Health Bertie Hospital Windsor, NC $954 $1,060 ★ 4/5 166 min —
Caldwell Memorial Hospital Lenoir, NC $1,030 $880 ★ 3/5 205 min —
Maria Parham Medical Center Henderson, NC $1,113 — ★ 2/5 168 min —
Rutherford Regional Medical Center Rutherfordton, NC $1,141 $2,748 ★ 2/5 144 min —
Wilkes Regional Medical Center North Wilkesboro, NC $1,168 $797 ★ 3/5 164 min —
UNC Rockingham Eden, NC $1,172 $877 ★ 4/5 187 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)
$2,139
Cash / self-pay
$1,275
Insurer-negotiated
$880
Medicare pays
$284
$472$1,961
Median cash $1,275  ·  Medicare $284  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,275 — about 4.5× 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 $2,139 list price could save about $864 (40%).

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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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