Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Louisiana

Prices at 48 hospitals in Louisiana, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $729 — 41% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 2.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Avoyelles Hospital Marksville, LA $198 $660 ★ 1/5 77 min —
West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA $200 $1,142 ★ 3/5 147 min —
Desoto Regional Health System Mansfield, LA $245 $350 ★ 2/5 109 min —
St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA $250 $568 ★ 4/5 180 min —
Slidell Memorial Hospital Slidell, LA $281 $566 ★ 2/5 203 min —
New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA $327 $1,050 — 140 min —
Leonard J Chabert Medical Center Houma, LA $450 $568 ★ 3/5 126 min —
Acadia General Hospital Crowley, LA $489 $562 ★ 3/5 109 min —
Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner Kenner, LA $491 $1,092 ★ 4/5 147 min —
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Lake Charles, LA $504 $526 ★ 3/5 210 min —
Minden Medical Center Minden, LA $535 $924 ★ 2/5 121 min —
Acadian Medical Center Eunice, LA $545 $1,404 ★ 3/5 116 min —
Ochsner St Mary Morgan City, LA $546 $602 ★ 2/5 89 min —
Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport-St Mary Medical Cent Shreveport, LA $546 $602 ★ 2/5 — —
St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA $554 $568 — 114 min —
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center Natchitoches, LA $568 $568 ★ 4/5 158 min —
North Caddo Medical Center Vivian, LA $577 — — 124 min —
Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, LA $578 — — — —
Lane Regional Medical Center Zachary, LA $594 $849 ★ 3/5 184 min —
Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA $639 $114 — — —
East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LA $647 $8,798 ★ 2/5 157 min —
Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital Slidell, LA $679 $645 — — —
University Medical Center New Orleans New Orleans, LA $714 $10,000 ★ 2/5 327 min —
Ochsner American Legion Hospital Jennings, LA $744 $843 ★ 2/5 104 min —
Ochsner LSU Health Monroe Monroe, LA $809 $843 ★ 3/5 152 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,089
Cash / self-pay
$729
Insurer-negotiated
$924
Medicare pays
$311
$304$1,958
Median cash $729  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $729 — about 2.3× the Medicare rate ($311). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,089 list price could save about $1,360 (65%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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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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