Prices at 4 hospitals in San Antonio, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $800 — 37% below the US median ($1,278), roughly 2.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System | San Antonio, TX | $800 | $1,100 | ★ 3/5 | 366 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)
Typical cash price here is $800 — about 2.8× the Medicare rate ($284). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,200 list price could save about $2,400 (75%).
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 San Antonio
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Vorpahl, RN, ACNP | Nurse Practitioner | San Antonio, TX | 75 |
| Barjinder Sandhu, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Antonio, TX | 71 |
| Nicolas Morton-Gonzaba, MD | Internal Medicine | San Antonio, TX | 51 |
| Camille Barton, PA | Physician Assistant | San Antonio, TX | 49 |
| Lara Voigt | Hospitalist | San Antonio, TX | 40 |
| John Cunningham, M.D. | Hospitalist | San Antonio, TX | 25 |
| Courtney Cook, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | San Antonio, TX | 20 |
| Ghazwan Kroma, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Antonio, TX | 19 |
| John Thomas, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | San Antonio, TX | 18 |
| Andrew Sharp | Nurse Practitioner | San Antonio, TX | 17 |
| James Saca, M.D. | Hospitalist | San Antonio, TX | 15 |
| Beatriz Escobar, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | San Antonio, TX | 12 |
Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) in other Texas cities
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Texas → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in San Antonio