Thoracentesis cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 16 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $917.43 to $1,479.76, with a median of $1,150.00. The lowest listed price is at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee and 1 other hospital — $232.57 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $1,150.00 at 78 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 9 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee lowest Mequon, WI HC PBB THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $917.43 | $1,731.00 | $1,022.54–$1,242.22 | 47% | — source file |
| Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute lowest Mequon, WI HC PBB THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $917.43 | $1,731.00 | $1,022.54–$1,242.22 | 47% | — source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 | $989.00–$3,500.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Franklin, WI HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,163.88 | $2,196.00 | $1,053.61 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,163.88 | $2,196.00 | $1,053.61 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,163.88 | $2,196.00 | $1,053.61 | 47% | — source file |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin Franklin, WI HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,163.88 | $2,196.00 | $1,053.61 | 47% | — source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC 32555 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,413.78 | $2,570.50 | $1,799.35–$2,441.98 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC 32555 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,413.78 | $2,570.50 | $1,799.35–$2,441.98 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,479.76 | $2,792.00 | $1,022.54–$1,242.22 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $1,479.76 | $2,792.00 | $1,022.54–$1,242.22 | 47% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $917.43, median $1,150.00, highest $1,479.76 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $1,150.00. 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 11 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 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 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.