Prices at 4 hospitals in New Orleans, LA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $676 — 45% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 2.2× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans East Hospital | New Orleans, LA | $327 | $1,050 | — | 140 min | — |
| Childrens Hospital | New Orleans, LA | $639 | $114 | — | — | — |
| University Medical Center New Orleans | New Orleans, LA | $714 | $10,000 | ★ 2/5 | 327 min | — |
| Ochsner Medical Center Acute | New Orleans, LA | $901 | $1,962 | ★ 4/5 | 174 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 $676 — about 2.2× 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 $2,806 list price could save about $2,129 (76%).
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 New Orleans
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.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Bordlee, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | New Orleans, LA | 99 |
| Michelle O'brien | Nurse Practitioner | New Orleans, LA | 16 |
| Ankit Pansara, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | New Orleans, LA | 12 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Louisiana → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in New Orleans