Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracentesis cost in Jonesboro, AR — inpatient

In Jonesboro, AR, 1 hospital lists a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance as an inpatient: from $168.53 to $168.53, with a median of $168.53. Across Arkansas, the median is $809.60 at 14 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 27, 2026 and Feb 27, 2026.

Lowest$168.53Baptist Memorial Hospital-NEA
Median$168.53half pay less
Highest$168.53in 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 Jonesboro, AR.

median
Lowest $168.53Highest $417.24

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Baptist Memorial Hospital-NEA lowest Jonesboro, AR · (870) 972-7000 HC ED 32555-THORACENTESIS W IMAGING $168.53 $887.00 $221.75–$709.60 81% Feb 27, 2026
source file
Baptist Memorial Hospital-NEA Jonesboro, AR · (870) 972-7000 HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING $417.24 $2,196.00 $549.00–$1,756.80 81% Feb 27, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $168.53, median $168.53, highest $168.53.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $168.53 — 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.