Prices at 5 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,325 — 80% above the US median ($1,290), roughly 8.2× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South | Saint Louis, MO | $980 | $871 | ★ 2/5 | 254 min | — |
| St Louis Childrens Hospital | Saint Louis, MO | $1,833 | $1,112 | — | — | — |
| Missouri Baptist Medical Center | Saint Louis, MO | $2,325 | $1,279 | ★ 5/5 | 262 min | — |
| Christian Hospital Northeast | Saint Louis, MO | $2,648 | $2,976 | ★ 4/5 | 217 min | — |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $3,840 | $1,161 | ★ 4/5 | 220 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 September 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 $2,325 — about 8.2× 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 $3,875 list price could save about $1,550 (40%).
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 Saint Louis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexa Fider-Whyte, DMSC, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Saint Louis, MO | 100 |
| Bruce Hedgepeth, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 70 |
| Christina Kreuzer, PA | Physician Assistant | Saint Louis, MO | 57 |
| Ahmed Abdelbaki, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 52 |
| Constance Courtois, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 48 |
| Kiran Chunduri, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 46 |
| Avinash Mesipam, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 44 |
| Micaela Thomas, PA | Physician Assistant | Saint Louis, MO | 41 |
| Bruce Bieneman, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 36 |
| Ellen Wertenberger, PA | Physician Assistant | Saint Louis, MO | 28 |
| Suchit Patel, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 26 |
| Anitha Varghese, PA | Physician Assistant | Saint Louis, MO | 24 |
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Missouri → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis