Thoracentesis cost in El Centro, CA
In El Centro, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $267.85 to $267.85, with a median of $267.85. Across California, the median is $2,033.20 at 177 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 —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in El Centro, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneers Memorial Hospital lowest Brawley, CA · (760) 351-3333 32555-Thoracentesis w/ Imaging Guidance | $267.85 | $1,071.38 | $92.33–$993.38 | 75% | — source file |
| Pioneers Memorial Hospital Brawley, CA · (760) 351-3333 32555 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/IM CHARGE | $654.38 | $2,617.50 | $92.33–$2,617.50 | 75% | — source file |
| Pioneers Memorial Hospital Brawley, CA · (760) 351-3333 IR Thoracentesis | $654.38 | $2,617.50 | $92.33–$2,617.50 | 75% | — source file |
| Pioneers Memorial Hospital Brawley, CA · (760) 351-3333 32555 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guida. | $654.38 | $2,617.50 | $92.33–$2,617.50 | 75% | — source file |
| Pioneers Memorial Hospital Brawley, CA · (760) 351-3333 US Guided Thoracentesis | $916.13 | $2,617.50 | $92.33–$2,617.50 | 65% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $267.85, median $267.85, highest $267.85.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $654.38. 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 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.