Thoracentesis cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $721.00 to $4,057.20, with a median of $1,771.78. The lowest listed price is at Uniontown Hospital — $1,050.78 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $1,425.60 at 65 hospitals.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 11 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniontown Hospital lowest Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $721.00 | $1,442.00 | $97.57–$1,416.69 | 50% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 ASPIRATION OF FLUID FROM CHEST CAVITY USING IMAGING GUIDANCE | $1,258.50 | $2,517.00 | $97.57–$1,416.69 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $1,316.40 | $2,194.00 | $410.84–$1,930.72 | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 THORA W IMAG REMVE FLUID/DRAIN | $1,425.60 | $2,376.00 | $639.14–$2,911.79 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 SONO/THORACENTESIS | $1,425.60 | $2,376.00 | $800.71–$1,853.28 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $1,513.80 | $2,523.00 | $407.56–$2,430.57 | 40% | — source file |
| Alle-Kiski Medical Center Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC ASP PLEURA W IMAGING | $1,714.02 | $2,226.00 | $87.85–$1,878.99 | 23% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC ASP PLEURA W IMAGING | $1,736.28 | $2,226.00 | $87.85–$1,878.99 | 22% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC ASP PLEURA W IMAGING | $1,736.28 | $2,226.00 | $87.85–$1,872.07 | 22% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC ASP PLEURA W IMAGING | $1,738.26 | $2,349.00 | $123.78–$1,976.07 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC ASP PLEURA W IMAGING | $1,805.29 | $2,473.00 | $123.78–$2,087.01 | 27% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC ASP PLEURA W IMAGING | $1,879.48 | $2,473.00 | $87.85–$2,073.14 | 24% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC ASP PLEURA W IMAGING | $1,902.69 | $2,349.00 | $87.85–$1,948.33 | 19% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $2,153.40 | $3,589.00 | $407.56–$2,871.20 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $2,329.80 | $3,883.00 | $407.56–$3,572.36 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC PORT THORACENTESIS W/GDE | $2,329.80 | $3,883.00 | $407.56–$3,572.36 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $2,577.00 | $4,295.00 | $403.71–$3,865.50 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $2,632.80 | $4,388.00 | $407.56–$3,729.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $3,062.40 | $5,104.00 | $116.04–$4,593.60 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $3,788.40 | $6,314.00 | $407.56–$5,366.90 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 PORT THORACENTESIS W/GDE | $3,788.40 | $6,314.00 | $407.56–$5,366.90 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC PORT THORACENTESIS W/GDE | $4,057.20 | $6,762.00 | $407.56–$5,747.70 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC THORACENTESIS W GUIDANCE | $4,057.20 | $6,762.00 | $407.56–$5,747.70 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $721.00, median $1,771.78, highest $4,057.20 — a 5.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $1,805.29. 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 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.
7 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 32555 ($1,171.30). 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.
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PAPR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $57.38 | file |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PAPR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $66.44 | file |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PAPR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $66.44 | file |
| Alle-Kiski Medical Center Natrona Heights, PAPR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $69.46 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PAPR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $72.48 | file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PAPR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $78.52 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PAPR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $81.54 | file |