Thoracentesis cost in Alaska
In Alaska, 14 hospitals publish a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $783.00 to $5,160.48, with a median of $2,211.30. The lowest price is at Norton Sound Health (Nome). The highest price is 6.6× the lowest.
- The median here, $2,211.30, is 81% above the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 3.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- Alaska ranks 50th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- 3 of 14 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 3, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$783.00Norton Sound Health
Median$2,211.30half of hospitals charge less
Highest$5,160.48in Alaska
Lowest saves$1,428.30vs the median
Hospitals in Alaska, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Sound Health lowest Nome · Nome, AK Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance | $783.00 | $1,566.00 | Feb 19, 2026 source file |
| Maniilaq Health Center Kotzebue · Kotzebue, AK Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance | $920.00 | $920.00 | Oct 15, 2026 source file |
| Providence Seward Hospital Seward · Seward, AK HC PR ED 32555 THORACENTESIS/ASPIR W IMG GD CDM | $1,574.04 | $2,018.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bartlett Regional Hospital Juneau · Juneau, AK Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance | $1,666.64 | $1,960.75 | Sep 26, 2026 source file |
| Mat-Su Valley Medical Center Palmer · Anchorage, AK CT Thoracentesis w Imaging Guidance | $1,840.80 | $6,136.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Fairbanks · Fairbanks-College, AK Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance | $1,880.05 | $1,979.00 | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Providence Valdez Medical Center Valdez · Valdez, AK HC ED THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING CDM | $1,881.36 | $2,412.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St. Elias Specialty Hospital Anchorage · Anchorage, AK HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $2,541.24 | $3,258.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| South Peninsula Hospital Homer · Homer, AK Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance | $2,691.97 | $3,589.29 | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Ketchikan Medial Center Ketchikan · Ketchikan, AK ASPIRATION OF FLUID FROM CHEST CAVITY USING IMAGING GUIDANCE | $2,848.30 | $4,382.00 | Mar 20, 2026 source file |
| Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center Kodiak · Kodiak, AK HC PR 32555 THORANCENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W IMAGING | $3,070.86 | $3,937.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Anchorage · Anchorage, AK Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance | $3,744.00 | $3,744.00 | Oct 15, 2026 source file |
| Central Peninsula General Hospital Soldotna · Soldotna, AK Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance | $3,825.00 | $3,825.00 | Aug 19, 2026 source file |
| Providence Alaska Medical Center Anchorage · Anchorage, AK HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE/CATH PLEURA W/IMAGING | $5,160.48 | $6,616.00 | 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.
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
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | 3 | $1,840.80 | $3,744.00 |
| Anchorage, AK | 1 | $2,541.24 | $2,541.24 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | 1 | $1,880.05 | $1,880.05 |
| Homer, AK | 1 | $2,691.97 | $2,691.97 |
| Juneau, AK | 1 | $1,666.64 | $1,666.64 |
| Kodiak, AK | 1 | $3,070.86 | $3,070.86 |
| Kotzebue, AK | 1 | $920.00 | $920.00 |
| Ketchikan, AK | 1 | $2,848.30 | $2,848.30 |
| Nome, AK | 1 | $783.00 | $783.00 |
| Seward, AK | 1 | $1,574.04 | $1,574.04 |
| Soldotna, AK | 1 | $3,825.00 | $3,825.00 |
| Valdez, AK | 1 | $1,881.36 | $1,881.36 |
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
- Alabama$1,055.53
- 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.