Prices at 3 hospitals in Salt Lake City, UT, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $877 — 30% below the US median ($1,252), roughly 2.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Cross Hospital-Salt Lake | Salt Lake City, UT | $877 | $1,439 | ★ 3/5 | 146 min | — |
| VA Salt Lake City Healthcare-George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center | Salt Lake City, UT | $877 | $1,439 | ★ 4/5 | — | — |
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)
Typical cash price here is $877 — 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 $2,193 list price could save about $1,316 (60%).
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 Salt Lake City
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Chambers, D.O. | Pulmonary Disease | Salt Lake City, UT | 35 |
| Jared Garrett, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 34 |
| Andrew Strong, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Salt Lake City, UT | 30 |
| Symbree Minniear, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Salt Lake City, UT | 25 |
| Jason Morton, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Salt Lake City, UT | 23 |
| Chakravarthy Reddy, MD | Pulmonary Disease | Salt Lake City, UT | 17 |
| Santosh Reddy, M.D. | Internal Medicine | Salt Lake City, UT | 16 |
| Edmund Liles, MD | Hospitalist | Salt Lake City, UT | 15 |
| Grace Noda, PA | Physician Assistant | Salt Lake City, UT | 13 |
| Alex Jepsen, M.D. | Hospitalist | Salt Lake City, UT | 11 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Utah → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Salt Lake City