Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Outpatient

Thoracentesis cost in Blacksburg, VA

In Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $732.20 to $732.20, with a median of $732.20. Across Virginia, the median is $1,321.80 at 39 hospitals.

Cash prices at 1 facility for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$732.20Carilion New River Valley Medical Center
Median$732.20half pay less
Highest$732.20in this market
Difference1.0×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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA.

median
Lowest $732.20Highest $1,187.90
one sideboth sides

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Carilion New River Valley Medical Center lowest Christiansburg, VA HB THORACENTESIS ASP W/IMAGING $732.20 $2,092.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center one side Christiansburg, VA HB SP THORACENTESIS W GUIDE RT $766.85 $2,191.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center one side Christiansburg, VA HB US THORACENTESIS W GUIDE LT $766.85 $2,191.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center Christiansburg, VA HB THORACENTESIS W IMAGING GUIDANCE $766.85 $2,191.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center one side Christiansburg, VA HB SP THORACENTESIS W GUIDE LT $766.85 $2,191.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center one side Christiansburg, VA HB CT THORACENTESIS W GUIDE LT $766.85 $2,191.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center one side Christiansburg, VA HB CT THORACENTESIS W GUIDE RT $766.85 $2,191.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center one side Christiansburg, VA HB US THORACENTESIS W GUIDE RT $766.85 $2,191.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Carilion New River Valley Medical Center both sides Christiansburg, VA HB SP THORACENTESIS BILATERAL $1,187.90 $3,394.00 $278.99–$3,224.30 65% —
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Outpatient: lowest $732.20, median $732.20, highest $732.20.

Both sides : lowest $1,187.90, median $1,187.90, highest $1,187.90.

The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 it is

Thoracentesis removes fluid from around the lungs with a needle, using ultrasound to guide it.

What the price covers

The price usually covers the procedure and guidance. Lab tests on the fluid are billed separately.