Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in South Carolina

Prices at 25 hospitals in South Carolina, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,801 — 45% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 5.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
McLeod Medical Center-Dillon Dillon, SC $1,001 $2,514 ★ 3/5 170 min —
McLeod Regional Medical Center-Pee Dee Florence, SC $1,001 $2,514 ★ 3/5 238 min —
McLeod Loris Hospital Loris, SC $1,001 $2,514 ★ 4/5 138 min —
McLeod Health Cheraw Cheraw, SC $1,001 $2,514 ★ 3/5 140 min —
McLeod Health Clarendon Manning, SC $1,001 $2,514 ★ 3/5 212 min —
Novant Health Hilton Head Medical Center Hilton Head Island, SC $1,018 $1,823 ★ 2/5 166 min —
East Cooper Medical Center Mount Pleasant, SC $1,018 $963 ★ 4/5 143 min —
Coastal Carolina Hospital Hardeeville, SC $1,018 $1,598 ★ 4/5 130 min —
Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital Georgetown, SC $1,056 $1,906 ★ 2/5 151 min —
Aiken Regional Medical Center Aiken, SC $1,532 $1,339 ★ 2/5 162 min —
Conway Medical Center Conway, SC $1,762 $388 ★ 2/5 134 min —
Lexington Medical Center West Columbia, SC $1,801 $1,091 ★ 3/5 223 min —
Spartanburg Medical Center Spartanburg, SC $1,849 — ★ 2/5 179 min —
Cherokee Medical Center Gaffney, SC $1,849 $1,450 ★ 2/5 161 min —
Pelham Medical Center Greer, SC $1,849 $1,450 ★ 5/5 177 min —
Union Medical Center Union, SC $1,849 $1,234 — 155 min —
Bon Secours-St Francis Xavier Hospital Charleston, SC $2,339 — ★ 3/5 153 min —
Roper Hospital Charleston, SC $2,339 — ★ 4/5 96 min —
Mount Pleasant Hospital Mount Pleasant, SC $2,339 — ★ 5/5 132 min —
Roper St Francis Hospital-Berkeley Inc Summerville, SC $2,339 — ★ 5/5 140 min —
Self Regional Healthcare Greenwood, SC $2,345 $3,435 ★ 4/5 199 min —
Edgefield County Healthcare an Affiliate of Self R Edgefield, SC $2,345 $3,435 — 80 min —
Abbeville Area Medical Center Abbeville, SC $2,736 $1,820 — 128 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)
$3,082
Cash / self-pay
$1,801
Insurer-negotiated
$1,864
Medicare pays
$311
$1,001$2,344
Median cash $1,801  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,801 — about 5.8× 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 $3,082 list price could save about $1,282 (42%).

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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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