Prices at 10 hospitals in Austin, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,797 — 123% above the US median ($1,252), roughly 9.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Austin Medical Center | Austin, TX | $2,555 | $1,916 | ★ 3/5 | 156 min | 14.4% |
| Texas Childrens Hospital North Austin Campus | Austin, TX | $2,612 | $2,495 | — | — | — |
| St David's South Austin Medical Center | Austin, TX | $2,982 | $2,000 | ★ 3/5 | 149 min | 15.2% |
| St David's Medical Center | Austin, TX | $3,189 | $1,917 | ★ 4/5 | 161 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)
Typical cash price here is $2,797 — about 9.0× the Medicare rate ($311). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,086 list price could save about $289 (9%).
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 Austin
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Mahlmann | Physician Assistant | Austin, TX | 91 |
| Sunil Narayan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Austin, TX | 52 |
| Rahul Dadhwal | Internal Medicine | Austin, TX | 25 |
| Ravi Jhaveri, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Austin, TX | 22 |
| Christopher Vargo, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Austin, TX | 17 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Texas → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Austin