Thoracentesis cost in Providence, RI
In Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, 7 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $701.00 to $2,700.00, with a median of $2,299.99. The lowest listed price is at Landmark Medical Center — $1,598.99 less than the median here. Across Rhode Island, the median is $2,700.00 at 5 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 6 cities 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 Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landmark Medical Center lowest Woonsocket, RI · (401) 769-4100 Hc Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Pleura Asp W Imag | $701.00 | $3,100.05 | $519.96–$3,100.05 | 77% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| South County Health Wakefield, RI · (401) 782-8000 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance | $918.60 | $1,531.00 | $1,184.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Brown University Health Morton Hospital Taunton, MA · (508) 828-7000 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE OR CATH ASP PLEURA SPACE W IMAGING GUID | $1,807.08 | $1,807.08 | — | — | — source file |
| Saint Anne's Hospital Fall River, MA · (508) 674-5600 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE OR CATH ASP PLEURA SPACE W IMAGING GUID | $2,299.99 | $2,299.99 | — | — | — source file |
| The Miriam Hospital Providence, RI · (401) 793-2500 HC THORACENTESIS WITH US GUIDANCE | $2,700.00 | $2,700.00 | — | — | — source file |
| The Miriam Hospital Providence, RI · (401) 793-2500 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE OR CATH ASP PLEURA SPACE W IMAGING GUID | $2,700.00 | $2,700.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Newport Hospital Newport, RI · (401) 846-6400 HC THORACENTESIS WITH US GUIDANCE | $2,700.00 | $2,700.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Newport Hospital Newport, RI · (401) 846-6400 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE OR CATH ASP PLEURA SPACE W IMAGING GUID | $2,700.00 | $2,700.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Rhode Island Hospital Providence, RI · (401) 444-4000 HC THORACENTESIS WITH US GUIDANCE | $2,700.00 | $2,700.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Rhode Island Hospital Providence, RI · (401) 444-4000 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE OR CATH ASP PLEURA SPACE W IMAGING GUID | $2,700.00 | $2,700.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Brown University Health Morton Hospital Taunton, MA · (508) 828-7000 HC THORACENTESIS WITH US GUIDANCE | $2,710.62 | $2,710.62 | — | — | — source file |
| Saint Anne's Hospital Fall River, MA · (508) 674-5600 HC THORACENTESIS WITH US GUIDANCE | $3,449.98 | $3,449.98 | — | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $701.00, median $2,299.99, highest $2,700.00 — a 3.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $2,700.00. 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 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.