Thoracentesis cost in Austin, TX
In Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 18 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $778.05 to $10,873.00, with a median of $2,583.33. The lowest listed price is at Ascension Cedar Park — $1,805.28 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $1,410.82 at 229 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,583.33, is 111% above the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 4.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- Austin, TX ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in Texas by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 18 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 12 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 11, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Oct 30, 2026.
Lowest$778.05Ascension Cedar Park
Median$2,583.33half of hospitals charge less
Highest$10,873.00in this market
Difference14.0×highest vs lowest
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.
median
Lowest $778.05Highest $10,873.00
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Cedar Park lowest Cedar Park, TX · (512) 528-7000 US-THORACNTSIS W IMG File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $778.05 | $2,161.25 | $112.95–$969.15 | 64% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Buda one side Buda, TX · (737) 999-6200 HC IR THORACENTESIS W IMAGE LT+5 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $223.75–$4,563.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock one side Round Rock, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC IR THORACENTESIS W IMAGE LT+5 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $223.75–$4,563.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock Round Rock, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMG+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville one side Pflugerville, TX · (512) 654-6100 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING - LT+5 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $223.75–$4,563.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville Pflugerville, TX · (512) 654-6100 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMG+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Emergency Medical Center - Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMG+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 3, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $661.67–$1,203.55 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Emergency Medical Center - Cedar Park one side Cedar Park, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING - LT+5 more lines at this price File of Jun 3, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $1,018.39–$1,203.55 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lakeway one side Lakeway, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING - LT+5 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $223.75–$4,563.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lakeway Lakeway, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMG+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Buda Buda, TX · (737) 999-6200 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMG+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Austin one side Austin, TX · (512) 654-2100 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING - LT+5 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $223.75–$4,563.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Austin Austin, TX · (512) 654-2100 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMG+2 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,110.97 | $1,851.62 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Taylor one side Taylor, TX · (512) 352-7611 HC IR THORACENTESIS W IMAGE RT+5 more lines at this price File of Oct 30, 2026 · source file | $1,155.41 | $1,925.68 | $239.41–$4,814.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Taylor Taylor, TX · (512) 352-7611 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMG+2 more lines at this price File of Oct 30, 2026 · source file | $1,155.41 | $1,925.68 | $72.00–$3,875.00 | 40% |
| St. David's North Austin Medical Center Austin, TX · (512) 901-1000 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,555.00 | $2,555.00 | $240.10–$4,496.00 | — |
| Texas Children's Hospital - Austin Austin, TX · (832) 824-1100 TC THORACENTESIS, NEEDLE OR CATH, W/ IMG GUIDE+1 more line at this price File of Mar 5, 2026 · source file | $2,611.66 | $3,898.00 | $223.75–$3,703.10 | 33% |
| Heart Hosp of Austin at St. David's Round Rock Round Rock, TX THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,775.00 | $2,775.00 | $388.50–$2,358.75 | — |
| St. David's Medical Center Manor, TX · (512) 476-7111 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,775.00 | $2,775.00 | $1,870.35 | — |
| Heart Hosp of Austin Austin, TX THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,775.00 | $2,775.00 | $388.50–$2,358.75 | — |
| Pam Specialty Hospital of Luling Luling, TX Thoracentesis asp w/Imaging File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $2,852.05 | $2,852.05 | $131.68–$2,566.85 | — |
| St. David's Round Rock Medical Center Leander, TX · (512) 341-1000 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,875.00 | $2,875.00 | $1,937.75 | — |
| St. David's Georgetown Hospital Georgetown, TX · (512) 476-7111 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,189.00 | $3,189.00 | $446.46–$2,710.65 | — |
| Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Round Rock Round Rock, TX US THORACENTESIS NEEDLE PLCMT+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,395.00 | $3,395.00 | — | — |
| St. David's South Austin Medical Center Bastrop, TX · (512) 448-7107 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $10,873.00 | $10,873.00 | $223.75–$7,328.40 | — |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $778.05, median $2,583.33, highest $10,873.00 — a 14.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $1,110.97. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 10 of 17 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What thoracentesis is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Thoracentesis explained.