Thoracentesis cost in Bowling Green, KY
In Bowling Green, KY, 2 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $490.03 to $566.40, with a median of $528.22. The lowest listed price is at The Medical Center at Bowling Green — $38.19 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $906.75 at 50 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Bowling Green, KY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green lowest Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W IMAGING | $490.03 | $944.00 | $198.24–$691.20 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 ICU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $566.40 | $944.00 | $198.24–$767.94 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 CCU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $651.60 | $1,086.00 | $228.06–$883.46 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 CCU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $651.60 | $1,086.00 | $228.06–$795.17 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 ICU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $651.60 | $1,086.00 | $228.06–$795.17 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 4C THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $658.74 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$929.16 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 4DN THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $658.74 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$929.16 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 5A/5B THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $658.74 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$929.16 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 ISC THORACENTESIS W US GUIDE | $697.15 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 5C THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $697.15 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 6B THORACENTESIS W/ US GUID | $697.15 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 4C THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $761.40 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$1,032.33 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 6C THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $761.40 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$1,032.33 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 3B PCU THORACENTESIS W US GUI | $761.40 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$1,032.33 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 6C THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $761.40 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$929.16 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 3B PCU THORACENTESIS W US GUI | $761.40 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$929.16 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 4DN THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $761.40 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$1,032.33 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 5A/5B THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $761.40 | $1,269.00 | $266.49–$1,032.33 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 ASPIRATE PLEURA W IMAGING | $766.80 | $1,278.00 | $268.38–$1,039.65 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 4A THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 6B THORACENTESIS W/ US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 4B THORACENTESIS W/ US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 ISC THORACENTESIS W US GUIDE | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 3D THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 NICU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 ICCU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 NICU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 ICCU THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 4A THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 4B THORACENTESIS W/ US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 3D THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$983.34 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 5C THORACENTESIS W US GUID | $805.80 | $1,343.00 | $282.03–$1,092.53 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY · (270) 745-1000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $951.51 | $1,833.00 | $384.93–$1,342.12 | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Medical Center at Scottsville Scottsville, KY · (270) 622-2800 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $1,487.40 | $2,479.00 | $520.59–$2,016.67 | 40% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $490.03, median $528.22, highest $566.40 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $566.40. 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 2 of 2 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 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.