Surgery and procedures CPT 32555 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracentesis cost in Texarkana, TX — inpatient

In Texarkana, TX-AR, 2 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance as an inpatient: from $1,489.95 to $2,852.05, with a median of $2,171.00. The lowest listed price is at CHRISTUS Health - Pine Street — $681.05 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $1,423.68 at 228 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 32555, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 14, 2026 and Aug 6, 2026.

Lowest$1,489.95CHRISTUS Health - Pine Street
Median$2,171.00half pay less
Highest$2,852.05in this market
Difference1.9×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Texarkana, TX-AR.

median
Lowest $1,489.95Highest $2,852.05

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
CHRISTUS Health - Pine Street lowest Texarkana, TX · (903) 798-8000 US Thoracentesis Aspiration W Labs $1,489.95 $2,709.00 $861.46–$2,438.10 45% Jan 14, 2026
source file
CHRISTUS Health - Pine Street lowest Texarkana, TX · (903) 798-8000 US Thoracentesis Aspiration WO Labs $1,489.95 $2,709.00 $861.46–$2,438.10 45% Jan 14, 2026
source file
CHRISTUS Health - Pine Street lowest Texarkana, TX · (903) 798-8000 US Thoracentesis w Imging Guidance - US Thoracente $1,489.95 $2,709.00 $861.46–$2,438.10 45% Jan 14, 2026
source file
Pam Specialty Hospital of Texarkana North Texarkana, TX Thoracentesis asp w/Imaging $2,852.05 $2,852.05 $1,996.44–$2,566.85 — Aug 6, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $1,489.95, median $2,171.00, highest $2,852.05 — a 1.9× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,354.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 1 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 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.