Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Minnesota

Prices at 73 hospitals in Minnesota, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,046 — 16% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 3.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
St Josephs Area Health Services Park Rapids, MN $239 $263 ★ 3/5 151 min —
Regions Hospital Saint Paul, MN $276 $663 ★ 3/5 231 min —
Kittson Healthcare Hallock, MN $316 $179 — 111 min —
Hutchinson Health Hutchinson, MN $354 $662 ★ 3/5 140 min —
Pipestone County Medical Center Pipestone, MN $414 $353 — 132 min —
Lakeview Memorial Hospital Stillwater, MN $487 $644 ★ 4/5 168 min —
St Gabriels Hospital Little Falls, MN $553 $696 ★ 4/5 141 min —
Ortonville Area Health Services Ortonville, MN $554 $565 — 120 min —
St Elizabeth Medical Center Wabasha, MN $560 $597 — 95 min —
Avera Marshall Regional Medical Ctr Marshall, MN $657 $496 — 126 min —
Rainy Lake Medical Center International Falls, MN $696 $644 — 131 min —
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Saint Louis Park, MN $699 $633 ★ 3/5 257 min —
M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN $775 $744 ★ 4/5 174 min —
M Health Fairview St John's Hospital Maplewood, MN $775 $744 ★ 5/5 188 min —
Fairview Northland Regional Hospital Princeton, MN $775 $1,008 ★ 4/5 150 min —
Fairview Lakes Health Services Wyoming, MN $776 $814 ★ 3/5 186 min —
M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury, MN $776 $814 ★ 4/5 158 min —
M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MN $776 $782 ★ 5/5 204 min —
Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center Brainerd, MN $801 $664 ★ 3/5 114 min —
Johnson Memorial Hospital Dawson, MN $809 $503 — 126 min —
Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital Grand Rapids, MN $822 $800 ★ 4/5 149 min —
M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital Burnsville, MN $822 $814 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Riverwood Healthcare Center Aitkin, MN $826 $781 — 96 min —
Olivia Hospital & Clinic Olivia, MN $882 $221 ★ 2/5 124 min —
Maple Grove Hospital Maple Grove, MN $894 $679 ★ 5/5 194 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)
$1,749
Cash / self-pay
$1,046
Insurer-negotiated
$794
Medicare pays
$311
$554$1,557
Median cash $1,046  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,046 — about 3.4× 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 $1,749 list price could save about $703 (40%).

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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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