Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracentesis cost in Fresno, CA — inpatient

In Fresno, CA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance as an inpatient: from $2,088.80 to $2,346.40, with a median of $2,088.80. The lowest listed price is at Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center and 1 other hospital. Across California, the median is $2,033.20 at 90 hospitals.

Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 32555, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jun 15, 2026 and Jun 18, 2026.

Lowest$2,088.80Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center + 1 more
Median$2,088.80half pay less
Highest$2,346.40in this market
Difference1.1×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 Fresno, CA.

median
Lowest $2,088.80Highest $2,346.40

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 THORACEN,NDL/CATH,ASPIR W/IMAG $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$52,580.00 20% Jun 18, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Clovis, CA · (559) 324-4000 RADP-US GUIDED THORACENTESIS $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$52,580.00 20% Jun 15, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Clovis, CA · (559) 324-4000 THORACEN,NDL/CATH,ASPIR W/IMAG $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$2,872.10 20% Jun 15, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Clovis, CA · (559) 324-4000 RADP-THORACENTESIS/ASP PLEURA W/IMAGING $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$23,144.00 20% Jun 15, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 RADP-US GUIDED THORACENTESIS $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$52,580.00 20% Jun 18, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 THORACEN,NDL/CATH,ASPIR W/IMAG $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$2,872.10 20% Jun 18, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 RADP-THORACENTESIS/ASP PLEURA W/IMAGING $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$23,144.00 20% Jun 18, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 RADP-US GUIDED THORACENTESIS $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$52,580.00 20% Jun 16, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 THORACEN,NDL/CATH,ASPIR W/IMAG $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$2,872.10 20% Jun 16, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 RADP-THORACENTESIS/ASP PLEURA W/IMAGING $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$52,580.00 20% Jun 16, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 RADP-US GUIDED THORACENTESIS $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$52,580.00 20% Jun 18, 2026
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Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center lowest Fresno, CA · (559) 459-6000 RADP-THORACENTESIS/ASP PLEURA W/IMAGING $2,088.80 $2,611.00 $665.81–$23,144.00 20% Jun 18, 2026
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Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fresno Fresno, CA · (559) 448-4500 THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING $2,346.40 $4,190.00 $747.00–$2,339.00 44% —
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Inpatient: lowest $2,088.80, median $2,088.80, highest $2,346.40 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $2,088.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 2 of 3 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.