Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Mesa, AZ

Prices at 3 hospitals in Mesa, AZ, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $957 — 24% below the US median ($1,252), roughly 3.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa, AZ $924 $1,522 ★ 2/5 266 min 13.9%
Banner Heart Hospital Mesa, AZ $957 $1,522 ★ 2/5 14.4%
Banner Desert Medical Center Mesa, AZ $1,107 $1,579 ★ 2/5 269 min 15.1%

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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$3,383
Cash / self-pay
$957
Insurer-negotiated
$1,522
Medicare pays
$311
$930$1,077
Median cash $957  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $957 — about 3.1× 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 $3,383 list price could save about $2,426 (72%).

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.

Doctors who perform this in Mesa

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.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
Christopher Davis, PA-CPhysician AssistantMesa, AZ217
Jedidiah Johnson, PA-CPhysician AssistantMesa, AZ192
John Santor, P.A.-C.Physician AssistantMesa, AZ126
Benjamin Stradling, D.O.Diagnostic RadiologyMesa, AZ14

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