Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in New York

Prices at 87 hospitals in New York, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $878 — 29% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 2.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Ellis Hospital Schenectady, NY $172 $391 ★ 3/5 232 min —
Aurelia Osborn Fox Memorial Hospital Oneonta, NY $203 $784 ★ 3/5 132 min —
Sunnyview Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Schenectady, NY $278 $227 — — —
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Niagara Falls, NY $285 $779 ★ 1/5 229 min —
Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY $300 — ★ 2/5 208 min —
O'connor Hospital Delhi, NY $311 $418 — 95 min —
Little Falls Hospital Little Falls, NY $311 $346 ★ 2/5 109 min —
Cobleskill Regional Hospital Cobleskill, NY $311 $394 ★ 4/5 111 min —
UPMC Chautauqua at Wca Jamestown, NY $361 $749 ★ 2/5 171 min —
Guthrie Cortland Regional Medical Center Cortland, NY $438 $784 ★ 3/5 182 min —
Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY $500 $298 ★ 2/5 307 min —
Canton-Potsdam Hospital Potsdam, NY $505 $228 ★ 2/5 142 min —
Slhs Massena, Inc Massena, NY $541 $567 — 116 min —
Bassett Healthcare Cooperstown, NY $575 $442 ★ 2/5 199 min —
St Joseph's Medical Center Yonkers, NY $694 $694 ★ 1/5 201 min —
Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital, Inc Binghamton, NY $717 $677 ★ 3/5 219 min —
Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center Bronx, NY $732 $783 ★ 2/5 234 min —
Jacobi Medical Center Bronx, NY $732 $822 ★ 2/5 220 min —
Elmhurst Hospital Center Elmhurst, NY $732 $787 ★ 2/5 278 min —
Bronx VA Medical Center Bronx, NY $732 $800 ★ 4/5 — —
South Brooklyn Health Brooklyn, NY $732 $790 ★ 2/5 160 min —
Metropolitan Hospital Center New York, NY $732 $783 ★ 3/5 171 min —
Kings County Hospital Center Brooklyn, NY $732 $790 ★ 1/5 261 min —
Bellevue Hospital Center New York, NY $732 $786 ★ 2/5 181 min —
Queens Hospital Center Jamaica, NY $732 $790 ★ 2/5 245 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)
$2,200
Cash / self-pay
$878
Insurer-negotiated
$783
Medicare pays
$311
$311$2,391
Median cash $878  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $878 — about 2.8× 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 $2,200 list price could save about $1,322 (60%).

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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