Thoracentesis cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $168.39 to $4,462.90, with a median of $1,366.08. The lowest listed price is at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital — $1,197.69 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $1,321.84 at 56 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,366.08, is 12% above the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 2.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- 1 of 17 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 13 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 11, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snoqualmie Valley Hospital lowest Snoqualmie, WA · (425) 831-2300 Facility Fee HC THORACENTESIS W/ IMAGING File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $168.39 | $290.33 | $122.34–$290.33 | 42% |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC PR ED 32555 THORACENTESIS/ASPIR W IMG GD CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $476.32 | $916.00 | — | 48% |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC THORACENTESIS/ASP WITH IMAG File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $703.74 | $2,440.14 | $732.10–$4,556.00 | 71% |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC THORACENTESIS/ASP WITH IMAG File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $742.05 | $2,440.14 | $732.10–$4,556.00 | 70% |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC THORACENTESIS/ASP WITH IMAG File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $742.78 | $2,440.14 | $728.45–$4,556.00 | 70% |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC THORACENTESIS/ASP WITH IMAG File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $750.35 | $2,440.14 | $728.45–$4,556.00 | 69% |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC THORACENTESIS/ASP WITH IMAG File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $850.71 | $2,568.57 | $700.76–$4,556.00 | 67% |
| St Elizabeth Hospital Enumclaw, WA · (360) 825-2505 HC THORACENTESIS/ASP WITH IMAG File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $896.02 | $2,440.14 | $390.43–$4,556.00 | 63% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC US THORACENTESIS+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,366.08 | $2,846.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,366.08 | $2,846.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,366.08 | $2,846.00 | — | 52% |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING - FAC+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,386.18 | $2,718.00 | $1,630.80–$2,174.40 | 49% |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC ED THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING CDM+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,529.84 | $2,942.00 | — | 48% |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Thoracentesis W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,551.00 | $3,102.00 | — | 50% |
| Valley Medical Center Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $2,039.80 | $2,914.00 | — | 30% |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 "IVR THORACENTESIS NEEDLE, OR CATH W/IMAGING GUIDANCE" File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,240.00 | $2,800.00 | $619.00–$1,376.00 | 20% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING GUIDE File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $2,306.40 | $2,883.00 | $618.26–$2,594.70 | 20% |
| Valley Medical Center Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $2,331.02 | $3,330.03 | — | 30% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $2,440.00 | $3,050.00 | $244.00–$2,745.00 | 20% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC US THORACENTESIS+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,503.68 | $5,216.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC US THORACENTESIS+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,503.68 | $5,216.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC US THORACENTESIS+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,503.68 | $5,216.00 | — | 52% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Thoracentesi File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $4,462.90 | $4,462.90 | $1,829.79–$4,284.38 | — |
| Seattle Children's Hospital one side Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Thoracentesi|RIGHT SIDE File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $20,169.05 | — | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $168.39, median $1,366.08, highest $4,462.90 — a 26.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $1,468.59. 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 9 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 thoracentesis is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Thoracentesis explained.