Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracentesis cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient

In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance as an inpatient: from $249.92 to $1,009.73, with a median of $554.04. The lowest listed price is at St Bernard Parish Hospital — $304.12 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $642.81 at 42 hospitals.

Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 cities for code 32555, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 16, 2026.

Lowest$249.92St Bernard Parish Hospital

Median$554.04half of hospitals charge less

Highest$1,009.73in this market

Difference4.0×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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.

median

Lowest $249.92Highest $1,009.73

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
St Bernard Parish Hospital lowest Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file	$249.92	$781.00	—	68%
Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING File of Sep 16, 2026 · source file	$490.84	$1,753.00	—	72%
St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file	$554.04	$2,052.00	—	73%
Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file	$600.38	$2,729.00	—	78%
The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file	$1,009.73	$2,729.00	—	63%

Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.

Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More

List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More

Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More

Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.

At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More

Inpatient: lowest $249.92, median $554.04, highest $1,009.73 — a 4.0× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $577.21 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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.