Thoracentesis cost in Alabama
In Alabama, 40 hospitals publish a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $166.50 to $3,998.01, with a median of $1,055.53. The lowest price is at UAB Medical West (Bessemer). The highest price is 24.0× the lowest.
- The median here, $1,055.53, is 14% below the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 1.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- Alabama ranks 17th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- 14 of 40 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 32555. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$166.50UAB Medical West
Median$1,055.53half of hospitals charge less
Highest$3,998.01in Alabama
Lowest saves$889.03vs the median
Hospitals in Alabama, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAB Medical West lowest Bessemer · Birmingham, AL Thoracenthesis, Needleorcath W | $166.50 | $222.00 | Jun 22, 2026 source file |
| Red Bay Hospital Red Bay · Russellville, AL CCD-OTH RESP PROC, INDIV | $270.00 | $270.00 | Mar 27, 2026 source file |
| Coosa Valley Medical Center Sylacauga · Talladega-Sylacauga, AL Us Thoracentesis W/imaging Guidance | $376.00 | $1,568.00 | — source file |
| Hale County Hospital Greensboro · Tuscaloosa, AL US THORACENTESIS | $409.60 | $512.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tanner Medical Center - East Alabama Wedowee · Wedowee, AL ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $412.80 | $1,032.00 | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Flowers Hospital Dothan · Dothan, AL US-THORACNTSIS W IMG | $548.25 | $3,655.02 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverview Regional Medical Center Gadsden · Gadsden, AL Hc Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Pleura Asp W Imag | $559.00 | $2,646.50 | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Russellville Hospital Russellville · Russellville, AL ASP PLEURA W IMAGE | $583.44 | $2,244.00 | Jul 31, 2026 source file |
| Evergreen Medical Center Evergreen · Evergreen, AL THORACENTESIS W IMAGING | $601.25 | $925.00 | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Medical Center South Montgomery · Montgomery, AL THORACENTESIS VIA NEEDLE W/IMG | $647.49 | $1,079.15 | Dec 30, 2025 source file |
| Baldwin Health Foley · Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL CT-THORACNTSIS W IMG | $667.22 | $3,706.77 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Highlands Medical Center one side Scottsboro · Scottsboro, AL ASPIRATION OF FLUID FROM CHEST CAVITY USING IMAGING GUIDANCE | $668.50 | $955.00 | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Troy Regional Medical Center Troy · Troy, AL THORACENTESIS ASPIRATION OF PLEURAL SPAC | $752.54 | $1,700.00 | Dec 31, 2024 source file |
| Crenshaw Community Hospital Luverne · Luverne, AL US THORACENTESIS W/ GUIDANCE | $775.02 | $1,550.03 | Oct 13, 2025 source file |
| Southeast Health Medical Center Dothan · Dothan, AL ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $795.69 | $1,989.23 | Nov 4, 2026 source file |
| Decatur Morgan Hospital West Decatur · Decatur, AL THORACENTESIS W/IMAGE GUIDANCE | $802.00 | $802.00 | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Decatur Morgan Hospital - Decatur Campus Decatur · Decatur, AL THORACENTESIS W/IMAGE GUIDANCE | $802.00 | $802.00 | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Decatur Morgan Hospital - Parkway Campus Decatur · Decatur, AL THORACENTESIS W/IMAGE GUIDANCE | $802.00 | $802.00 | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| East Alabama Medical Center Opelika · Auburn-Opelika, AL US Thoracentesis(radiology to determine site) | $1,011.45 | $1,839.00 | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Ochsner Choctaw General Butler · Butler, AL HC THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,051.46 | $1,383.50 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grandview Medical Center Birmingham · Birmingham, AL US-THORACNTSIS W IMG | $1,059.60 | $7,064.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Marshall Medical Center North Guntersville · Albertville, AL US-THORACENTESIS | $1,113.20 | $1,113.20 | Apr 13, 2026 source file |
| Marshall Medical Centers Boaz · Albertville, AL US-THORACENTESIS | $1,113.20 | $1,113.20 | Apr 13, 2026 source file |
| Gadsden Regional Medical Center Gadsden · Gadsden, AL US-THORACNTSIS W IMG | $1,165.82 | $9,715.19 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Springhill Memorial Hospital Mobile · Mobile, AL US THORACENTESIS S | $1,175.38 | $1,382.80 | Apr 2, 2026 source file |
| Dch Regional Medical Center Tuscaloosa · Tuscaloosa, AL THORACENTESIS W/IMAGING | $1,236.00 | $2,472.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Fayette Medical Center Fayette · Fayette, AL ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $1,236.00 | $2,472.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Marion Regional Medical Center Hamilton · Hamilton, AL HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $1,265.06 | $2,942.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| North Mississippi Health Services-South Marion Winfield · Winfield, AL HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $1,265.06 | $2,942.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Medical Center Enterprise Enterprise · Enterprise, AL ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $1,436.67 | $15,962.98 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Crestwood Medical Center Huntsville · Huntsville, AL US-THORACNTSIS W IMG | $1,598.47 | $8,880.38 | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Huntsville Hospital Huntsville · Huntsville, AL BLLN,BAKRI POSTPARTUM 24FR | $1,603.50 | $1,603.50 | Mar 27, 2026 source file |
| Huntsville Hospital Madison · Huntsville, AL BLLN,BAKRI POSTPARTUM 24FR | $1,603.50 | $1,603.50 | Mar 27, 2026 source file |
| Helen Keller Hospital Sheffield · Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $2,345.00 | $2,345.00 | Mar 27, 2026 source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama – Benjamin Russell Hospital Birmingham · Birmingham, AL HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $2,885.32 | $6,710.04 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Citizens Hospital Talladega · Talladega-Sylacauga, AL Hb Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $3,373.00 | $3,373.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Princeton Hospital Birmingham · Birmingham, AL Hb Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $3,373.00 | $3,373.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Shelby Hospital Alabaster · Birmingham, AL Hb Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $3,373.00 | $3,373.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Walker Hospital Jasper · Birmingham, AL Hb Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $3,373.00 | $3,373.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital Birmingham · Birmingham, AL Hb Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $3,998.01 | $3,998.01 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Check the item The description in the hospital file looks like a supply or device (a catheter, a brace, an implant), not this procedure. The hospital may have filed it under the wrong code: ask before relying on this price.
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | 7 | $166.50 | $3,373.00 |
| Decatur, AL | 3 | $802.00 | $802.00 |
| Huntsville, AL | 3 | $1,598.47 | $1,603.50 |
| Albertville, AL | 2 | $1,113.20 | $1,113.20 |
| Dothan, AL | 2 | $548.25 | $671.97 |
| Gadsden, AL | 2 | $559.00 | $862.41 |
| Russellville, AL | 2 | $270.00 | $426.72 |
| Talladega-Sylacauga, AL | 2 | $376.00 | $1,874.50 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 2 | $409.60 | $822.80 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL | 1 | $1,011.45 | $1,011.45 |
| Butler, AL | 1 | $1,051.46 | $1,051.46 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 1 | $667.22 | $667.22 |
| Evergreen, AL | 1 | $601.25 | $601.25 |
| Enterprise, AL | 1 | $1,436.67 | $1,436.67 |
| Fayette, AL | 1 | $1,236.00 | $1,236.00 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 1 | $2,345.00 | $2,345.00 |
| Hamilton, AL | 1 | $1,265.06 | $1,265.06 |
| Luverne, AL | 1 | $775.02 | $775.02 |
| Mobile, AL | 1 | $1,175.38 | $1,175.38 |
| Montgomery, AL | 1 | $647.49 | $647.49 |
| Scottsboro, AL | 1 | $668.50 | $668.50 |
| Troy, AL | 1 | $752.54 | $752.54 |
| Wedowee, AL | 1 | $412.80 | $412.80 |
| Winfield, AL | 1 | $1,265.06 | $1,265.06 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What thoracentesis is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Thoracentesis explained.
Thoracentesis with imaging guidance in other states
- Alaska$2,211.30
- Arizona$1,106.95
- Arkansas$925.00
- California$2,033.20
- Colorado$1,250.95
- Connecticut$1,253.00
- Delaware$1,784.75
- District of Columbia$1,228.69, 3 hospitals
- Florida$1,874.28
- Georgia$1,410.41
- Hawaii$1,434.00
- Idaho$1,155.70
- Illinois$1,250.00
- Indiana$1,095.50
- Iowa$983.20
- Kansas$969.83
- Kentucky$978.22
- Louisiana$646.80
- Maine$686.40
- Maryland$1,249.16
- Massachusetts$1,787.00
- Michigan$1,092.18
- Minnesota$926.91
- Mississippi$843.94
- Missouri$1,022.79
- Montana$927.54
- Nebraska$939.00
- Nevada$1,259.58
- New Hampshire$1,063.30
- New Jersey$1,782.00
- New Mexico$1,229.41
- New York$1,282.00
- North Carolina$1,029.60
- North Dakota$792.75
- Ohio$1,737.60
- Oklahoma$684.00
- Oregon$1,534.65
- Pennsylvania$1,474.38
- Puerto Rico$600.00, 4 hospitals
- Rhode Island$1,714.65
- South Carolina$1,404.00
- South Dakota$1,842.00
- Tennessee$633.65
- Texas$1,410.82
- Utah$1,018.79
- Vermont$1,258.00
- Virginia$1,321.80
- Washington$1,321.84
- West Virginia$1,250.40
- Wisconsin$1,200.00
- Wyoming$1,088.89
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.