Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in Wisconsin

Prices at 91 hospitals in Wisconsin, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,283 — 4% above the US median ($1,239), roughly 4.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
St Croix Regional Medical Center Saint Croix Falls, WI $233 $174 ★ 3/5 144 min —
Burnett Medical Center Grantsburg, WI $346 — — — —
Westfields Hospital and Clinic New Richmond, WI $352 $546 ★ 4/5 108 min —
Sauk Prairie Hospital Prairie Du Sac, WI $382 $597 ★ 5/5 152 min —
Hudson Hospital Hudson, WI $398 $302 ★ 5/5 117 min —
Gundersen St Josephs Hospital and Clinics Hillsboro, WI $409 $632 — 121 min —
Gundersen Moundview Hospital and Clinics Friendship, WI $409 $632 — 73 min —
Gundersen Tri-County Hospital & Clinics Whitehall, WI $409 $632 — 120 min —
Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center La Crosse, WI $578 $787 ★ 4/5 167 min —
Amery Hospital & Clinic Amery, WI $613 $428 ★ 2/5 120 min —
Bellin Memorial Hospital Green Bay, WI $669 $648 ★ 4/5 151 min —
Bellin Health Oconto Hospital Oconto, WI $669 $648 — 87 min —
Vernon Memorial Hospital Viroqua, WI $678 $170 — 138 min —
Beloit Health System Beloit, WI $681 $1,203 ★ 3/5 129 min —
Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics Boscobel, WI $732 $1,138 — 116 min —
Holy Family Memorial Manitowoc, WI $756 $908 ★ 3/5 138 min —
Fort Memorial Hospital Fort Atkinson, WI $998 $1,841 ★ 4/5 171 min —
Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County Darlington, WI $1,044 $613 — 106 min —
River Falls Area Hospital River Falls, WI $1,046 $1,234 ★ 5/5 96 min —
Richland Hospital Richland Center, WI $1,084 $288 ★ 1/5 100 min —
Aurora Medical Ctr Manitowoc County Two Rivers, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 5/5 112 min —
Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County Sheboygan, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 5/5 173 min —
Aurora Medical Ctr Washington County Hartford, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 4/5 127 min —
Aurora Memorial Hospital Burlington Burlington, WI $1,150 $1,937 ★ 4/5 182 min —
Aurora Lakeland Medical Center Elkhorn, WI $1,150 $1,946 ★ 5/5 145 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)
$2,300
Cash / self-pay
$1,283
Insurer-negotiated
$908
Medicare pays
$311
$595$2,373
Median cash $1,283  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,283 — about 4.1× 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 $2,300 list price could save about $1,018 (44%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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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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