Thoracentesis cost in Harrisburg, PA
In Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $282.00 to $1,331.49, with a median of $960.14. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Carlisle and 1 other hospital — $678.14 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $1,425.60 at 65 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 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 — 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Carlisle lowest Carlisle, PA · (717) 249-1212 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING GUID MD | $282.00 | $470.00 | $64.39–$3,397.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals lowest Harrisburg, PA · (717) 782-3131 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING GUID MD | $282.00 | $470.00 | $94.00–$2,656.50 | 40% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 32555 Thoracentesis Tech | $960.14 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 32555 IR Thoracentesis w/ Image Guidance Tech | $960.14 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 THORACENTESIS WITH GUIDAN Tech | $960.14 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 32555 CT Thoracentesis w/ CT Guidance Tech | $960.14 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 32555 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING Tech | $960.14 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 32555 US Thoracentesis Tech | $960.14 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 32555 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING Tech | $1,264.78 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 32555 CT Thoracentesis w/ CT Guidance Tech | $1,264.78 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 THORACENTESIS WITH GUIDAN Tech | $1,264.78 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 32555 IR Thoracentesis w/ Image Guidance Tech | $1,264.78 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 32555 Thoracentesis Tech | $1,264.78 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 32555 US Thoracentesis Tech | $1,264.78 | $4,019.00 | $521.13–$3,215.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 CT Thoracentesis w/ CT Guidance - Report | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 THORACENTESIS WITH GUIDAN | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 PS CT Thoracentesis w/ CT Guidance - Report | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 IR Thoracentesis w/ Tube Insert - Report | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 US 32555 Thoracentesis POC | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 32555 Thoracentesis With Imaging Guidance | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 US Thoracentesis - Report | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 PS US Thoracentesis - Report | $1,331.49 | $4,019.00 | $565.51–$3,577.84 | 67% | — source file |
| UPMC Carlisle Carlisle, PA · (717) 249-1212 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING GUID | $2,304.60 | $3,841.00 | $325.29–$3,397.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals Harrisburg, PA · (717) 782-3131 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING GUID | $2,304.60 | $3,841.00 | $602.09–$3,264.85 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $282.00, median $960.14, highest $1,331.49 — a 4.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $960.14. 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.