Thoracentesis cost in San Jose, CA
In San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $1,148.75 to $2,346.40, with a median of $1,908.95. The lowest listed price is at El Camino Hospital — $760.20 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,033.20 at 90 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 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 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Camino Hospital lowest Mountain View, CA · (650) 940-7000 HC THORACENTESIS W IMAGING GUIDANCE | $1,148.75 | $4,595.00 | — | 75% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging | $1,471.50 | $2,943.00 | $80.79–$1,191.33 | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Jose San Jose, CA · (408) 972-7000 THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $2,346.40 | $4,190.00 | $747.00–$2,339.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Santa Clara Santa Clara, CA · (408) 236-6400 THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $2,346.40 | $4,190.00 | $747.00–$2,339.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA · (650) 723-4000 Thoracentis W/Image Guide | $2,956.00 | $7,390.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,148.75, median $1,908.95, highest $2,346.40 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $1,908.95. 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 0 of 3 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.