Thoracentesis cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 6 hospitals list a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $1,161.50 to $2,363.00, with a median of $1,161.50. The lowest listed price is at Inova Fairfax Hospital and 4 other hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inova Fairfax Hospital lowest Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital lowest Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital lowest Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital lowest Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital lowest Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC THORACENTESIS ASP PLEURAL SPC W/IMAGE | $1,161.50 | $2,323.00 | $618.26–$2,678.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Thoracentesis W/Img Guid | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Aspirate Pleura W/ Imaging | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Thoracentesis W/ Img Guide | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 32555 Thoracentsis W Img Guid | $2,363.00 | $4,726.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,161.50, median $1,161.50, highest $2,363.00 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 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 5 of 5 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 32555 ($1,171.30). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WVASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $109.00 | file |