Thoracentesis cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 11 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $202.50 to $3,110.78, with a median of $1,368.90. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Lincoln and 1 other hospital — $1,166.40 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $720.85 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 9 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 Jun 12, 2026 and Jun 12, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $202.50 | $270.00 | $108.00–$243.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $202.50 | $270.00 | $108.00–$243.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $202.50 | $270.00 | $108.00–$243.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $202.50 | $270.00 | $108.00–$243.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities lowest Washington, MO Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $202.50 | $270.00 | $108.00–$229.50 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $202.50 | $270.00 | $108.00–$243.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Thoracentesis Plrl Aspir W/Img Guide Pf | $453.70 | $698.00 | $527.06–$811.67 | 35% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING 32555 | $667.44 | $927.00 | $185.40–$2,105.36 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING 32555 | $838.80 | $1,165.00 | $326.20–$1,680.57 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Thoracentesis Pleural Space W Guidance | $1,100.45 | $1,693.00 | $2,087.00–$3,194.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Thoracentesis Pleural Space W Guidance | $1,368.90 | $2,106.00 | $136.89–$2,106.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Thoracentesis Pleural Space W Guidance | $1,901.90 | $2,926.00 | $90.61–$1,140.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Thoracentesis Pleural Space W Guidance | $2,164.90 | $3,330.62 | $616.38–$1,413.71 | 35% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING 32555 | $2,592.72 | $3,601.00 | $433.00–$3,601.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Thoracentesis Pleural Space W Guidance | $3,035.50 | $4,670.00 | $616.38–$1,413.71 | 35% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 US-THORACNTSIS W IMG | $3,110.78 | $5,184.63 | $5,184.63 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $202.50, median $1,368.90, highest $3,110.78 — a 15.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $1,342.64. 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 8 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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.