Thoracentesis cost in Virginia Beach, VA
In Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC, 11 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $793.25 to $2,363.00, with a median of $2,363.00. The lowest listed price is at Riverside Smithfield Hospital — $1,569.75 less than the median here. Across Virginia, the median is $1,321.80 at 48 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,363.00, is 93% above the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 3.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 8 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 16, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 11, 2026 and Jul 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Smithfield Hospital lowest Smithfield, VA Thoracentesis W/Imaging File of Mar 11, 2026 · source file | $793.25 | $1,586.50 | — | 50% |
| Chesapeake General Hospital Chesapeake, VA · (757) 312-8121 Hc Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $1,351.25 | $2,252.09 | — | 40% |
| Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center Suffolk, VA · (757) 673-5917 HC Sp Thora for Aspiration+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,891.20 | $3,152.00 | — | 40% |
| Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center Portsmouth, VA · (757) 398-2200 HC Sp Thora for Aspiration+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,891.20 | $3,152.00 | — | 40% |
| Mary Immaculate Hospital Newport News, VA · (757) 886-6000 HC Sp Thora for Aspiration File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,891.20 | $3,152.00 | — | 40% |
| Mary Immaculate Hospital Newport News, VA · (757) 886-6000 HC Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,210.40 | $3,684.00 | — | 40% |
| Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital Virginia Beach, VA · (757) 395-8000 Thoracentesis W/ Img Guide+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Leigh Hospital Norfolk, VA · (757) 261-6700 Thoracentesis W/ Img Guide+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% |
| Hospital for Extended Recovery Norfolk, VA · (757) 388-3000 Thoracentesis W/ Img Guide+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Norfolk, VA · (757) 388-3000 Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Careplex Hospital Hampton, VA · (757) 827-2545 Thoracentesis W/ Img Guide+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Princess Anne Hospital Virginia Beach, VA · (757) 507-1520 Thoracentesis W/ Img Guide+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% |
Outpatient: lowest $793.25, median $2,363.00, highest $2,363.00 — a 3.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $2,363.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
What thoracentesis is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Thoracentesis explained.