Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Outpatient

Thoracentesis cost in Ocean Pines, MD

In Ocean Pines, MD, 1 hospital lists a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $2,090.52 to $2,090.52, with a median of $2,090.52. Across Maryland, the median is $1,580.35 at 4 hospitals.

Cash prices at 1 facility 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 — and —.

Lowest$2,090.52Atlantic General Hospital
Median$2,090.52half pay less
Highest$2,090.52in this market
Difference1.0×highest vs lowest

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Atlantic General Hospital Berlin, MD · (410) 641-1100 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance $2,090.52 $2,090.52 $2,090.52 — —
source file

Outpatient: lowest $2,090.52, median $2,090.52, highest $2,090.52.

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.