Thoracentesis cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 5 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $625.00 to $6,134.21, with a median of $651.36. The lowest listed price is at St Joseph Medical Center — $26.36 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $720.85 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 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 Mar 17, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Kansas City, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Joseph Medical Center lowest Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging | $625.00 | $7,592.86 | $527.06–$7,592.86 | 92% | Mar 17, 2026 source file |
| St Joseph Medical Center lowest Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Hc Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Pleura Asp W Imag | $625.00 | $5,918.10 | $527.06–$7,592.86 | 89% | Mar 17, 2026 source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/IMAGING x1 | $651.36 | $1,357.00 | $137.95–$1,194.16 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/IMAGING x1 | $651.36 | $1,357.00 | $137.95–$1,194.16 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 PERQ DRAINAGE PLEURA INSERT CATH W/O IMAGING I4K | $749.76 | $1,562.00 | $137.95–$1,374.56 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 PERQ DRAINAGE PLEURA INSERT CATH W/O IMAGING I4K | $749.76 | $1,562.00 | $137.95–$1,374.56 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING I4K | $818.40 | $1,705.00 | $137.95–$1,500.40 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING I4K | $818.40 | $1,705.00 | $137.95–$1,500.40 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 ASPIR PLEURA W/IMG | $847.68 | $1,766.00 | $292.71–$1,589.40 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 ASPIR PLEURA W/IMG | $847.68 | $1,766.00 | $292.71–$1,589.40 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/IMAGING TX RM IR | $1,567.20 | $3,265.00 | $292.71–$2,938.50 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/IMAGING TX RM IR | $1,567.20 | $3,265.00 | $292.71–$2,938.50 | 52% | — source file |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $6,134.21 | $6,134.21 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $6,134.21 | $6,134.21 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $625.00, median $651.36, highest $6,134.21 — a 9.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $3,392.79. 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 3 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.