Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracentesis cost in Dickinson, ND — inpatient

In Dickinson, ND, 1 hospital lists a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance as an inpatient: from $179.55 to $179.55, with a median of $179.55. Across North Dakota, the median is $599.76 at 7 hospitals.

Cash prices at 1 facility for code 32555, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Feb 28, 2026.

Lowest$179.55St Joseph's Hospital and Health Center
Median$179.55half pay less
Highest$179.55in 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 Dickinson, ND.

median
Lowest $179.55Highest $837.90

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
St Joseph's Hospital and Health Center lowest Dickinson, ND · (701) 456-4000 THORCENTESIS W IMAGING ER PF $179.55 $285.00 $199.50–$276.45 37% Feb 28, 2026
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St Joseph's Hospital and Health Center Dickinson, ND · (701) 456-4000 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING PF $332.01 $527.00 $368.90–$511.19 37% Feb 28, 2026
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St Joseph's Hospital and Health Center Dickinson, ND · (701) 456-4000 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING IP PF $552.51 $877.00 $613.90–$850.69 37% Feb 28, 2026
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St Joseph's Hospital and Health Center Dickinson, ND · (701) 456-4000 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING SUR PF $552.51 $877.00 $613.90–$850.69 37% Feb 28, 2026
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St Joseph's Hospital and Health Center Dickinson, ND · (701) 456-4000 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING US $761.67 $1,209.00 $846.30–$1,172.73 37% Feb 28, 2026
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St Joseph's Hospital and Health Center Dickinson, ND · (701) 456-4000 THORCENT W IMAGING ER $837.90 $1,330.00 $931.00–$1,290.10 37% Feb 28, 2026
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Inpatient: lowest $179.55, median $179.55, highest $179.55.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $179.55 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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 and 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.