Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in North Carolina

Prices at 68 hospitals in North Carolina, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,036 — 16% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 3.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Elkin, NC $315 $355 ★ 3/5 168 min —
UNC Lenoir Health Care Kinston, NC $377 $629 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Washington County Hosp Inc Plymouth, NC $396 — — — —
ECU Health Medical Center Greenville, NC $398 $474 ★ 2/5 289 min —
Vidant Chowan Hospital Edenton, NC $398 $474 ★ 3/5 164 min —
ECU Health North Hospital Roanoke Rapids, NC $412 $580 ★ 2/5 212 min —
ECU Health Bertie Hospital Windsor, NC $465 $566 ★ 4/5 166 min —
The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc Nags Head, NC $652 $785 ★ 4/5 208 min —
Duke University Hospital Durham, NC $671 $624 ★ 5/5 317 min —
Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC $671 $624 ★ 5/5 255 min —
Vidant Roanoke Chowan Hospital Ahoskie, NC $680 $792 ★ 2/5 140 min —
Caldwell Memorial Hospital Lenoir, NC $689 $580 ★ 3/5 205 min —
Vidant Duplin Hospital Kenansville, NC $711 $602 ★ 3/5 170 min —
UNC Health Care Wayne Goldsboro, NC $734 $652 ★ 3/5 190 min —
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Raleigh, NC $735 $908 ★ 4/5 204 min —
Wakemed, Cary Hospital Cary, NC $735 $890 ★ 5/5 196 min —
Wilkes Regional Medical Center North Wilkesboro, NC $763 $778 ★ 3/5 164 min —
Pardee Hospital Henderson County Hendersonville, NC $784 $578 ★ 5/5 158 min —
Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC $799 $296 ★ 1/5 190 min —
Rutherford Regional Medical Center Rutherfordton, NC $844 $1,309 ★ 2/5 144 min —
Maria Parham Medical Center Henderson, NC $935 — ★ 2/5 168 min —
Vidant Edgecombe Hospital Tarboro, NC $961 $580 ★ 3/5 239 min —
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Fayetteville, NC $1,030 $634 ★ 2/5 216 min —
Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital Dunn, NC $1,030 $634 ★ 3/5 210 min —
Cape Fear Valley Hoke Hospital Raeford, NC $1,030 $634 ★ 4/5 205 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)
$2,065
Cash / self-pay
$1,036
Insurer-negotiated
$745
Medicare pays
$311
$418$2,557
Median cash $1,036  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,036 — about 3.3× 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 $2,065 list price could save about $1,028 (50%).

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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Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states

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