Thoracentesis cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 13 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $601.00 to $2,363.00, with a median of $1,161.50. The lowest listed price is at Jefferson Medical Center — $560.50 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $1,228.69 at 3 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,161.50, is 5% below the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 1.8× 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 13 facilities across 11 cities for code 32555, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 and Jul 14, 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Medical Center lowest Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING File of Jul 12, 2026 · source file | $601.00 | $1,202.00 | — | 50% |
| Mary Washington Hospital Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Aspirate pleura w/ imaging File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $776.50 | $1,553.00 | $240.00–$4,450.00 | 50% |
| Stafford Hospital Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Aspirate pleura w/ imaging File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $776.50 | $1,553.00 | $240.00–$4,450.00 | 50% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 IR Thoracentesis+1 more line at this price File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $981.00 | $1,962.00 | $344.26–$4,902.00 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 ASPIRATE PLEURA W IMAGING+4 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,228.69 | $1,890.29 | $548.18–$3,175.00 | 35% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 CT THORACEN W IMG GUIDE+4 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,628.95 | $2,506.07 | $701.70–$6,474.00 | 35% |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Thoracentesis, needle or catheter, aspiration of the pleural space; with imaging guidance File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $1,940.40 | $4,851.00 | $3,765.00 | 60% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Thoracentesis W/Img Guid+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% |
Outpatient: lowest $601.00, median $1,161.50, highest $2,363.00 — a 3.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $1,161.50. 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 11 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 1 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.