Thoracentesis cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 16 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $568.15 to $6,481.20, with a median of $853.34. The lowest listed price is at Lakewood Medical Center and 1 other hospital — $285.19 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,022.79 at 58 hospitals.
- The median here, $853.34, is 30% below the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 1.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- Kansas City, MO has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Missouri with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 6 of 16 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 10 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 17, 2026 and Sep 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Medical Center one side lowest Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-7000 LT+1 more line at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $568.15 | $1,033.00 | $263.42–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| Lakewood Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-7000 32555 Aspirate Pleura w/ Imaging WPR+2 more lines at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $568.15 | $1,033.00 | $10.00–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| University Health Truman Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-1000 32555 Aspirate Pleura w/ Imaging WPR+2 more lines at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $568.15 | $1,033.00 | $10.00–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| University Health Truman Medical Center one side lowest Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-1000 US Exam 4+1 more line at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $568.15 | $1,033.00 | $165.62–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| Providence Medical Center Kansas City, KS · (913) 596-4000 Hc Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Pleura Asp W Imag File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $590.00 | $2,421.19 | $278.77–$2,237.18 | 76% |
| Saint John Hospital Leavenworth, KS · (913) 680-6000 Hc Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Pleura Asp W Imag File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $590.00 | $2,421.19 | $278.77–$2,058.01 | 76% |
| St Joseph Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging+1 more line at this price File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $625.00 | $7,592.86 | $527.06–$7,592.86 | 92% |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 US SP THORACENTESIS-INT OR SUB File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $729.87 | $1,042.66 | $628.32–$886.26 | 30% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 ASPIR PLEURA W/IMG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $847.68 | $1,766.00 | $292.71–$1,589.40 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 ASPIR PLEURA W/IMG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $847.68 | $1,766.00 | $292.71–$1,589.40 | 52% |
| Liberty Hospital Liberty, MO · (816) 781-7200 IR THORACENTESIS W/IMAGIN+10 more lines at this price File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $859.00 | $3,080.00 | $859.32–$2,513.28 | 72% |
| Liberty Hospital one side Liberty, MO · (816) 781-7200 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGIN+1 more line at this price File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $859.00 | $3,080.00 | $859.32–$2,513.28 | 72% |
| Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO · (816) 380-5888 Thoracentesis w/guidance 32555 File of Apr 7, 2026 · source file | $943.60 | $1,348.00 | $175.24–$2,548.00 | 30% |
| Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO · (816) 380-5888 THORACENTESIS/GUIDANCE 32555 File of Apr 7, 2026 · source file | $962.50 | $1,375.00 | $178.75–$1,332.38 | 30% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/IMAGING TX RM IR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,567.20 | $3,265.00 | $292.71–$2,938.50 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/IMAGING TX RM IR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,567.20 | $3,265.00 | $292.71–$2,938.50 | 52% |
| Lee's Summit Medical Center Lee's Summit, MO · (816) 282-5000 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,189.92 | $3,189.92 | $414.69–$2,711.43 | — |
| Research Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 276-4000 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $5,929.89 | $5,929.89 | $770.89–$5,929.89 | — |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6,134.21 | $6,134.21 | — | — |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6,134.21 | $6,134.21 | — | — |
| Menorah Medical Center Overland Park, KS · (913) 498-6000 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,202.98 | $6,202.98 | $806.39–$4,962.38 | — |
| Centerpoint Medical Center Independence, MO · (816) 698-7000 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,481.20 | $6,481.20 | $842.56–$5,833.08 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $568.15, median $853.34, highest $6,481.20 — a 11.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $847.68. 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 10 of 14 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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 thoracentesis is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Thoracentesis explained.