Thoracentesis cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 6 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $189.80 to $5,640.46, with a median of $499.74. The lowest listed price is at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center — $309.94 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $737.31 at 64 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 3 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 25, 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center lowest Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 ASPIRATION OF FLUID FROM CHEST CAVITY USING IMAGING GUIDANCE | $189.80 | $271.14 | $132.18–$1,515.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $499.74 | $499.74 | $29.18–$2,007.00 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $499.74 | $499.74 | $29.18–$1,338.00 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $499.74 | $499.74 | $82.34–$2,007.00 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $499.74 | $499.74 | $82.34–$2,007.00 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,338.00 | $1,338.00 | $29.18–$2,007.00 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,338.00 | $1,338.00 | $29.18–$1,338.00 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,338.00 | $1,338.00 | $82.34–$2,007.00 | — | — source file |
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 THORACENTESIS PLEURA W/ IMAGE | $2,717.00 | $2,214.34 | $549.94–$3,120.00 | -23% | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Noncdm Charge Record | $5,640.46 | $5,640.46 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Thoracentesisw/Imaging A | $6,218.60 | $6,218.60 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Thoracentesis W/Imaging | $6,218.60 | $6,218.60 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo both sides Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging - Bilateral | $1,338.00 | $1,338.00 | $82.34–$2,007.00 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital both sides Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging - Bilateral | $1,338.00 | $1,338.00 | $29.18–$1,338.00 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital both sides Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging - Bilateral | $1,338.00 | $1,338.00 | $29.18–$2,007.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $189.80, median $499.74, highest $5,640.46 — a 29.7× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $1,338.00, median $1,338.00, highest $1,338.00.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $499.74. 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 5 of 5 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.