Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracentesis cost in Moses Lake, WA — inpatient

In Moses Lake, WA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance as an inpatient: from $173.40 to $1,855.00, with a median of $1,014.20. The lowest listed price is at Quincy Valley Medical Center — $840.80 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $1,366.08 at 43 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 32555, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between May 27, 2026 and May 27, 2026.

Lowest$173.40Quincy Valley Medical Center
Median$1,014.20half pay less
Highest$1,855.00in this market
Difference10.7×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 Moses Lake, WA.

median
Lowest $173.40Highest $2,466.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Quincy Valley Medical Center lowest Quincy, WA · (509) 787-3531 Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance $173.40 $173.40 $91.87–$164.73 — May 27, 2026
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Grant County Public Hospital District 1 Moses Lake, WA HC PR 32555 Thorancentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W Imaging $1,855.00 $1,855.00 — — —
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Grant County Public Hospital District 1 Moses Lake, WA HC PR ED 32555 Thoracentesis/Aspir W Img Gd Cdm $1,855.00 $1,855.00 — — —
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Grant County Public Hospital District 1 Moses Lake, WA Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity w/imaging $2,211.00 $2,211.00 — — —
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Grant County Public Hospital District 1 Moses Lake, WA Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity $2,466.00 $2,466.00 — — —
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Inpatient: lowest $173.40, median $1,014.20, highest $1,855.00 — a 10.7× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,014.20 — 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 not below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.