Thoracentesis cost in Phoenix, AZ
In Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, 27 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $578.55 to $5,748.00, with a median of $1,106.95. The lowest listed price is at Banner Goldfield Medical Center — $528.40 less than the median here. Across Arizona, the median is $1,106.95 at 47 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,106.95, is 10% below the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 1.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- 9 of 27 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 27 facilities across 13 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 2, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banner Goldfield Medical Center one side lowest Apache Junction, AZ · (480) 733-3300 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 23, 2026 · source file | $578.55 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 81% |
| Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Gilbert, AZ · (480) 728-8000 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $726.41 | $2,814.00 | $110.18–$3,616.13 | 74% |
| Valleywise Health Medical Center Phoenix, AZ · (602) 344-5011 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA+1 more line at this price File of Jun 28, 2026 · source file | $769.79 | $2,900.00 | $669.38–$3,949.00 | 73% |
| Banner Del E Webb Medical Center one side Sun City West, AZ · (623) 524-4000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 22, 2026 · source file | $776.68 | $3,045.00 | $104.86–$5,681.00 | 74% |
| Chandler Regional Medical Center Chandler, AZ · (480) 728-3000 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $780.45 | $2,814.00 | $110.18–$3,616.13 | 72% |
| Banner Casa Grande Medical Center one side Casa Grande, AZ · (520) 381-6300 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 23, 2026 · source file | $843.46 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$3,779.00 | 72% |
| Banner Boswell Medical Center one side Sun City, AZ · (623) 832-4000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 19, 2026 · source file | $858.53 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 72% |
| Banner Heart Hospital one side Mesa, AZ · (480) 854-5050 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 23, 2026 · source file | $861.73 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 72% |
| Banner Baywood Medical Center one side Mesa, AZ · (480) 321-2000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 23, 2026 · source file | $923.50 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 70% |
| Banner Gateway Medical Center one side Gilbert, AZ · (480) 543-2000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 22, 2026 · source file | $934.82 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 69% |
| Banner Thunderbird Medical Center one side Glendale, AZ · (602) 865-4470 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 22, 2026 · source file | $937.86 | $3,045.00 | $104.86–$5,681.00 | 69% |
| Banner Ocotillo Medical Center one side Chandler, AZ · (480) 256-7000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 24, 2026 · source file | $945.65 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 69% |
| Banner University Medical Center Phoenix one side Phoenix, AZ · (602) 839-2000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 25, 2026 · source file | $1,034.68 | $3,045.00 | $104.86–$5,681.00 | 66% |
| Banner Desert Medical Center one side Mesa, AZ · (480) 412-3000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 23, 2026 · source file | $1,106.95 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 64% |
| Banner Ironwood Medical Center one side Queen Creek, AZ · (480) 394-4000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 23, 2026 · source file | $1,175.37 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 61% |
| Banner Estrella Medical Center one side Phoenix, AZ · (623) 327-4000 THORACENTESIS ASP W IMG LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 25, 2026 · source file | $1,178.42 | $3,045.00 | $392.67–$5,681.00 | 61% |
| St Josephs Hospital and Medical Center Phoenix, AZ · (602) 406-8225 THORACENTESIS W IMAGING File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $1,499.96 | $3,992.00 | $110.18–$4,868.00 | 62% |
| Phoenix Children's Hospital Phoenix, AZ · (602) 933-1000 THORACENT W/IMAGE UNI File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,583.82 | $3,048.00 | $1,219.20–$2,438.40 | 48% |
| St Josephs Hospital and Medical Center Phoenix, AZ · (602) 406-8225 THORACENTESIS W IMAG BIL File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $2,999.91 | $7,984.00 | $110.18–$6,307.36 | 62% |
| HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center Scottsdale, AZ · (480) 323-3000 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth Sonoran Crossing Medical Center Phoenix, AZ · (480) 882-4327 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center Phoenix, AZ · (623) 879-6100 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth Florence Medical Center Florence, AZ Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center Phoenix, AZ · (602) 943-2381 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth Four Peaks Medical Center Mesa, AZ · (480) 358-6100 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth Tempe Medical Center Tempe, AZ · (602) 251-8156 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center Scottsdale, AZ · (480) 882-4004 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
| HonorHealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Med Center Scottsdale, AZ · (480) 324-7001 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,748.00 | $5,748.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $578.55, median $1,106.95, highest $5,748.00 — a 9.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 25 facilities here, median $1,106.95. 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 18 of 18 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 32555 ($1,045.53). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Chandler Regional Medical Center Chandler, AZTHORACENTESIS W IMG UNI | $5.96 | file |
| Chandler Regional Medical Center Chandler, AZTHORACENTESIS W IMAG BIL | $7.27 | file |