Prices at 53 hospitals in Georgia, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,361 — 10% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 4.4× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatuge Regional Hospital | Hiawassee, GA | $397 | $533 | — | 156 min | — |
| Higgins General Hospital | Bremen, GA | $413 | — | — | 126 min | — |
| Sgmc Health | Valdosta, GA | $459 | $602 | ★ 2/5 | 204 min | — |
| Sgmc Berrien Campus | Nashville, GA | $459 | $656 | — | 92 min | — |
| Union General Hospital | Blairsville, GA | $516 | $601 | ★ 3/5 | 165 min | — |
| Southern Regional Medical Center | Riverdale, GA | $626 | $645 | ★ 1/5 | 265 min | — |
| Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Inc | Newnan, GA | $626 | $645 | ★ 5/5 | — | — |
| Tift Regional Medical Center | Tifton, GA | $759 | $601 | ★ 3/5 | 255 min | — |
| Southwell Medical, a Campus of Trmc | Adel, GA | $759 | $573 | — | — | — |
| Tanner Medical Center-Carrollton | Carrollton, GA | $798 | $645 | ★ 2/5 | 180 min | — |
| Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica | Villa Rica, GA | $798 | $645 | ★ 3/5 | 146 min | — |
| Blue Ridge Medical Center | Blue Ridge, GA | $906 | $291 | — | — | — |
| Crisp Regional Hospital | Cordele, GA | $968 | $920 | ★ 2/5 | 194 min | — |
| Piedmont Augusta Hospital | Augusta, GA | $1,087 | $1,595 | ★ 2/5 | 204 min | — |
| Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown | Columbus, GA | $1,087 | $2,438 | ★ 2/5 | 157 min | — |
| Piedmont Columbus Regional Northside | Columbus, GA | $1,087 | $2,429 | ★ 5/5 | 200 min | — |
| Augusta VA Medical Center | Augusta, GA | $1,087 | $1,595 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
| Hamilton Medical Center | Dalton, GA | $1,132 | $4,448 | ★ 3/5 | 181 min | — |
| Coffee Regional Medical Center, Inc | Douglas, GA | $1,309 | — | ★ 3/5 | 215 min | — |
| Atrium Health Navicent Peach | Byron, GA | $1,327 | $841 | ★ 1/5 | 173 min | — |
| Memorial Hospital and Manor | Bainbridge, GA | $1,336 | $1,232 | ★ 1/5 | 162 min | — |
| CHI Memorial Hospital-Georgia | Ringgold, GA | $1,386 | $955 | ★ 3/5 | 118 min | — |
| Piedmont Newton Hospital | Covington, GA | $1,410 | $2,497 | ★ 3/5 | 217 min | — |
| Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center | Cartersville, GA | $1,410 | $2,646 | ★ 3/5 | 169 min | — |
| Piedmont Walton Hospital | Monroe, GA | $1,410 | $3,291 | ★ 4/5 | 142 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 $1,361 — about 4.4× 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 $3,625 list price could save about $2,264 (62%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
By city
Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Georgia →