Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) Cost in Winston-salem, NC

Prices at 3 hospitals in Winston-salem, NC, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,662 — 34% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 5.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

See negotiated rates for your insurer:

Hospital	Location	Cash	Insurer	CMS rating	ER wait	Readmit
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center	Winston-salem, NC	$1,337	$1,415	★ 4/5	206 min	—
North Carolina Baptist Hospital	Winston-salem, NC	$1,987	$1,315	★ 4/5	183 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)

$3,101

Cash / self-pay

$1,662

Insurer-negotiated

$1,315

Medicare pays

$311

$1,402$1,922

Median cash $1,662 · Medicare $311 · bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)

Is this a fair price?

1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,662 — about 5.3× 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 $3,101 list price could save about $1,439 (46%).

Estimate what you’ll pay

Deductible remaining Coinsurance %

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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.

Doctors who perform this in Winston-salem

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
Jeffrey Martin, PA	Physician Assistant	Winston Salem, NC	49
Catherine Legrande, PA-C	Physician Assistant	Winston Salem, NC	43
Ian Smith, PA-C	Physician Assistant	Winston Salem, NC	42
Mathew Williams, PA-C	Physician Assistant	Winston Salem, NC	37
John Warren, PA	Physician Assistant	Winston Salem, NC	35
Michael Love, P.A.-C	Physician Assistant	Winston Salem, NC	29
Ashley Medina, PA-C	Physician Assistant	Winston Salem, NC	25
Cara Obrien, MD	Internal Medicine	Winston Salem, NC	12

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All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in North Carolina → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Winston-salem