Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Missouri

Prices at 49 hospitals in Missouri, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,116 — 10% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 3.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Carroll County Memorial Hospital Carrollton, MO $248 — — 98 min —
Mercy Hospital Lebanon Lebanon, MO $494 $608 ★ 4/5 151 min —
Mercy Hospital Perry Perryville, MO $521 $780 ★ 2/5 135 min —
Cox Monett Hospital Monett, MO $550 $3,078 ★ 3/5 151 min —
Truman Medical Center Hospital Hill Kansas City, MO $568 $796 ★ 3/5 224 min —
University Health Lakewood Medical Center Kansas City, MO $568 $818 ★ 4/5 150 min —
St Joseph Medical Center Kansas City, MO $625 $656 ★ 3/5 124 min —
Hedrick Medical Center Chillicothe, MO $694 $868 ★ 4/5 124 min —
Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO $697 $574 ★ 4/5 159 min —
Cox Medical Center Branson Branson, MO $703 $670 ★ 4/5 218 min —
Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO $730 $628 ★ 3/5 95 min —
The Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO $750 $991 — — —
Cox Medical Centers Springfield, MO $781 $635 ★ 3/5 219 min —
Harrison County Community Hospital Bethany, MO $813 $792 ★ 3/5 109 min —
Bothwell Regional Health Center Sedalia, MO $886 $670 ★ 4/5 198 min —
Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO $944 $737 ★ 4/5 131 min —
Mercy Hospital Southeast Cape Girardeau, MO $952 $976 ★ 2/5 169 min —
Wright Memorial Hospital Trenton, MO $952 $836 ★ 4/5 136 min —
Cox Barton County Hospital Lamar, MO $988 $3,468 — 91 min —
Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO $1,100 $558 — 150 min —
Mercy Hospital Carthage Carthage, MO $1,113 $1,113 ★ 4/5 92 min —
St Louis Childrens Hospital Saint Louis, MO $1,118 $1,108 — — —
Mercy Hospital-Cassville Cassville, MO $1,151 $1,417 — 101 min —
Mercy St Francis Hospital Mountain View, MO $1,151 $758 — 120 min —
Hannibal Regional Hospital Hannibal, MO $1,225 $1,667 ★ 2/5 145 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)
$1,863
Cash / self-pay
$1,116
Insurer-negotiated
$915
Medicare pays
$311
$568$2,884
Median cash $1,116  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,116 — about 3.6× 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 $1,863 list price could save about $747 (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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