Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Rhode Island

Prices at 4 hospitals in Rhode Island, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $871 — 30% below the US median ($1,252), roughly 2.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Landmark Medical Center Woonsocket, RI $701 $702 ★ 2/5 225 min
Westerly Hospital Westerly, RI $823 $382 ★ 4/5 142 min
South County Hospital Inc Wakefield, RI $919 $1,054 ★ 4/5 197 min
Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island Providence, RI $1,715 $1,032 ★ 4/5 234 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 September 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)
$2,693
Cash / self-pay
$871
Insurer-negotiated
$867
Medicare pays
$311
$738$1,476
Median cash $871  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $871 — 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 $2,693 list price could save about $1,822 (68%).

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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.

Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states

All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Rhode Island →