Prices at 3 hospitals in Tucson, AZ, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $979 — 21% below the US median ($1,239), roughly 3.1× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson Medical Center | Tucson, AZ | $165 | $668 | ★ 2/5 | 202 min | — |
| Banner-University Medical Center Tucson Campus | Tucson, AZ | $979 | $1,038 | ★ 3/5 | 311 min | — |
| Banner-University Medical Center South Campus | Tucson, AZ | $1,397 | $1,038 | ★ 4/5 | 260 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)
Typical cash price here is $979 — about 3.1× 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 $2,651 list price could save about $1,672 (63%).
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 Tucson
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Long, MD | Interventional Radiology | Tucson, AZ | 135 |
| Donald Mar, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Tucson, AZ | 124 |
| Jose Rebeil-De La Rosa, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Tucson, AZ | 55 |
| David Murphy, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Tucson, AZ | 43 |
| Abhinav Mittal, M.D. | Pulmonary Disease | Tucson, AZ | 41 |
| Lucas Struycken, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Tucson, AZ | 17 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Arizona → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Tucson