Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Colorado

Prices at 52 hospitals in Colorado, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,545 — 25% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 5.0× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Denver Health & Hospital Authority Denver, CO $486 $870 ★ 3/5 208 min —
Vail Health Hospital Vail, CO $497 — ★ 5/5 141 min —
Grand River Hospital District Rifle, CO $525 $903 — 110 min —
Southwest Memorial Hospital Cortez, CO $688 $1,287 ★ 4/5 106 min —
Estes Park Medical Center Estes Park, CO $714 $904 — — —
Sterling Regional Medcenter Sterling, CO $743 $1,046 ★ 3/5 97 min —
Yuma District Hospital Yuma, CO $815 $957 — 125 min —
Family Health West Hospital Fruita, CO $880 $1,609 — 48 min —
Uchealth Yampa Valley Medical Center Steamboat Springs, CO $940 $894 — 116 min —
Aspen Valley Hospital Aspen, CO $1,021 $2,054 — — —
Sedgwick County Memorial Hospital Julesburg, CO $1,090 $509 — 123 min —
Prowers Medical Center Lamar, CO $1,120 — — 118 min —
Uchealth Highlands Ranch Hospital Highlands Ranch, CO $1,132 $1,583 ★ 5/5 164 min —
Valley View Hospital Association Glenwood Springs, CO $1,164 $705 ★ 4/5 152 min —
Delta County Memorial Hospital Delta, CO $1,179 $695 ★ 3/5 143 min —
Uchealth Pikes Peak Regional Hospital Woodland Park, CO $1,186 $847 — 109 min —
East Morgan County Hospital Brush, CO $1,236 $221 — 111 min —
Longs Peak Hospital Longmont, CO $1,321 $1,286 ★ 5/5 130 min —
Uchealth Broomfield Hospital Broomfield, CO $1,321 $1,582 — 105 min —
Uchealth Grandview Hospital Colorado Springs, CO $1,321 $1,430 — 101 min —
National Jewish Health Denver, CO $1,340 $1,388 — — —
Community Hospital Grand Junction, CO $1,430 $724 ★ 4/5 135 min —
University of Colorado Hospital Authority Aurora, CO $1,545 $1,765 ★ 5/5 102 min —
St Elizabeth Hospital Fort Morgan, CO $1,559 $2,442 ★ 4/5 106 min —
VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System Aurora, CO $1,561 $1,554 ★ 5/5 — —

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)
$2,628
Cash / self-pay
$1,545
Insurer-negotiated
$1,554
Medicare pays
$311
$725$2,203
Median cash $1,545  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,545 — about 5.0× 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 $2,628 list price could save about $1,084 (41%).

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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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Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states

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