Thoracentesis cost in San Antonio, TX
In San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, 11 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $412.50 to $4,117.50, with a median of $4,117.50. The lowest listed price is at University Health System — $3,705.00 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $1,410.82 at 229 hospitals.
- The median here, $4,117.50, is 236% above the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 6.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- San Antonio, TX ranks 4th of 4 metro areas in Texas by median, cheapest first.
- 7 of 11 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 5 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 4, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 13, 2026 and Oct 7, 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING+1 more line at this price File of Oct 7, 2026 · source file | $412.50 | $1,650.00 | $223.75–$4,125.00 | 75% |
| Guadalupe Regional Medical Center Seguin, TX · (830) 379-2411 THORACENTESIS,N/C A/PL SP W/IM File of May 21, 2026 · source file | $965.50 | $1,931.00 | $283.06–$1,931.00 | 50% |
| Santa Rosa Hospital - Westover Hills San Antonio, TX · (210) 703-8211 HC 32555 THORACENTESIS NDL/CATH,ASP PLRL SP; W/IMG GUIDE File of Jan 13, 2026 · source file | $1,225.95 | $3,715.00 | $172.16–$4,308.00 | 67% |
| Medina Regional Hospital Hondo, TX · (830) 426-7700 US THORACENTESIS File of Jul 29, 2026 · source file | $1,381.65 | $1,535.16 | $223.75–$3,105.73 | 10% |
| Northeast Methodist San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,117.50 | $4,117.50 | $247.16–$3,499.88 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Stone Oak Spring Branch, TX · (210) 638-2101 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,117.50 | $4,117.50 | $576.45–$3,499.88 | — |
| Methodist Hospital San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 THORACENTESIS W/ IMAG+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,117.50 | $4,117.50 | $223.75–$4,117.50 | — |
| Methodist Specialty and Transplant San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,117.50 | $4,117.50 | $223.75–$2,758.72 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Atascosa Jourdanton, TX · (830) 769-3515 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,117.50 | $4,117.50 | $1,012.90–$3,499.88 | — |
| Methodist Texsan Hospital San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,117.50 | $4,117.50 | $223.75–$3,499.88 | — |
| Metropolitan Methodist San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $4,117.50 | $4,117.50 | $247.16–$3,499.88 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $412.50, median $4,117.50, highest $4,117.50 — a 10.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $982.80. 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 4 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 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.