Thoracentesis cost in Fond du Lac, WI
In Fond du Lac, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $518.45 to $1,150.00, with a median of $834.23. The lowest listed price is at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton — $315.78 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $1,150.00 at 78 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Nov 21, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Fond du Lac, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton lowest Fond Du Lac, WI HC Prof Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging | $518.45 | $925.80 | $425.87–$881.64 | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC PROF ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $530.88 | $948.00 | $425.87–$881.64 | 44% | — source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Fond du Lac Fond Du Lac, WI THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging (32555) | $1,369.14 | $2,444.90 | $733.47–$1,853.47 | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging | $1,375.98 | $2,457.10 | $737.13–$1,853.47 | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING (32555) | $1,410.25 | $2,518.30 | $733.47–$1,853.47 | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI HC ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $1,410.25 | $2,518.30 | $733.47–$1,853.47 | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Fond Du Lac, WI ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING (32555) | $1,574.38 | $2,811.40 | $284.40–$2,069.19 | 44% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $518.45, median $834.23, highest $1,150.00 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,150.00. 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.