Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Pennsylvania

Prices at 83 hospitals in Pennsylvania, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,040 — 65% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 6.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Heritage Valley Beaver Beaver, PA $372 $611 ★ 3/5 185 min —
Heritage Valley Sewickley Sewickley, PA $372 $611 ★ 4/5 135 min —
Advanced Surgical Hospital Washington, PA $599 $599 — — —
St Clair Hospital Pittsburgh, PA $604 $1,367 ★ 4/5 200 min —
Lower Bucks Hospital Bristol, PA $617 $663 ★ 3/5 150 min —
Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA $641 $705 ★ 2/5 186 min —
Jefferson Health-Northeast Philadelphia, PA $708 $132 ★ 2/5 316 min —
Acmh Hospital Kittanning, PA $710 $828 ★ 3/5 195 min —
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital Philadelphia, PA $718 $693 ★ 3/5 268 min —
Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital East Norriton, PA $718 $667 ★ 4/5 297 min —
Jefferson Lansdale Hospital Lansdale, PA $723 $153 ★ 3/5 234 min —
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Philadelphia, PA $741 $247 ★ 3/5 236 min —
Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA $745 $332 ★ 2/5 141 min —
Conemaugh Nason Medical Center Roaring Spring, PA $747 $704 ★ 5/5 141 min —
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Johnstown, PA $747 $704 ★ 2/5 176 min —
Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center Meyersdale, PA $747 $704 — 84 min —
Conemaugh Miners Medical Center Hastings, PA $747 $704 — 126 min —
Clarion Hospital Clarion, PA $840 $750 ★ 2/5 166 min —
St Christopher's Hospital for Children Philadelphia, PA $852 $511 — — —
Surgical Institute of Reading Wyomissing, PA $905 $989 — — —
Pottstown Hospital Pottstown, PA $958 $2,912 ★ 2/5 195 min —
Phoenixville Hospital Phoenixville, PA $958 $3,137 ★ 3/5 178 min —
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA $960 $892 ★ 3/5 252 min —
Penn State Health St. Joseph Reading, PA $1,045 $727 ★ 3/5 232 min —
Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita Butler, PA $1,050 $1,125 ★ 2/5 194 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)
$3,269
Cash / self-pay
$2,040
Insurer-negotiated
$828
Medicare pays
$311
$716$5,074
Median cash $2,040  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,040 — about 6.6× 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 $3,269 list price could save about $1,229 (38%).

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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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