Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Utah

Prices at 15 hospitals in Utah, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $886 — 29% below the US median ($1,252), roughly 2.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
San Juan Hospital Monticello, UT $420 $540 128 min
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
Holy Cross Hospital-Jordan Valley West Jordan, UT $886 $1,437 ★ 4/5 160 min
Castleview Hospital Price, UT $1,019 $2,204 ★ 2/5 135 min
Central Valley Medical Center-CAH Nephi, UT $1,057 $1,378 109 min
Ashley Regional Medical Center Vernal, UT $1,450 $2,343 ★ 4/5 116 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)
$2,193
Cash / self-pay
$886
Insurer-negotiated
$2,350
Medicare pays
$311
$694$1,214
Median cash $886  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $886 — 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 $1,307 (60%).

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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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Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in other states

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