Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Delaware

Prices at 6 hospitals in Delaware, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,681 — 34% above the US median ($1,252), roughly 5.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Beebe Medical Center Lewes, DE $944 ★ 3/5 174 min
St Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE $1,180 $2,040 ★ 3/5 192 min
Tidalhealth Nanticoke, Inc. Seaford, DE $1,496 $1,392 ★ 3/5 167 min
Bayhealth Medical Center, Kent Campus Dover, DE $1,866 $881 ★ 2/5 268 min
Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus Milford, DE $1,866 $854 ★ 3/5 252 min
Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Wilmington, DE $2,670 $1,629

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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,019
Cash / self-pay
$1,681
Insurer-negotiated
$1,392
Medicare pays
$311
$1,062$2,268
Median cash $1,681  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,681 — about 5.4× 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 $2,019 list price could save about $337 (17%).

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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.

Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states

All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Delaware →