Thoracentesis cost in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, 31 hospitals publish a cash price for thoracentesis with imaging guidance: from $778.05 to $5,697.00, with a median of $1,787.00. The lowest price is at Boston Medical Center (Boston). The highest price is 7.3× the lowest.
- The median here, $1,787.00, is 46% above the US median of $1,224.53.
- That is 2.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($640.89).
- Massachusetts ranks 46th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- 16 of 31 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 Oct 17, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$778.05Boston Medical Center
Median$1,787.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$5,697.00in Massachusetts
Lowest saves$1,008.95vs the median
Hospitals in Massachusetts, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center lowest Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $778.05 | $1,729.00 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center South Brockton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $813.19 | $1,807.08 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $838.81 | $1,864.03 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $910.70 | $1,301.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Mercy Hospital one side Springfield · Springfield, MA HC Thoracentesis Pleural Space Needle/Catheter Aspiration W/ Imaging Guidance Rt | $975.00 | $1,500.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Holyoke Medical Center Holyoke · Springfield, MA Aspirate pleura w/ imaging | $980.00 | $980.00 | May 1, 2026 source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,085.00 | $1,550.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis W Guidance | $1,147.00 | $1,147.00 | Mar 20, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Milton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $1,279.00 | $1,279.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group Fall River · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,488.50 | $2,977.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - St. Luke's Hospital St. New Bedford · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,488.50 | $2,977.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,488.50 | $2,977.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Thoracentesis Needle/Cath Pleura W/Imaging | $1,645.70 | $2,351.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH ASPIRATE PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $1,744.50 | $2,326.00 | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH ASPR; PLEURA W/ IMAGING | $1,786.40 | $2,552.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $1,787.00 | $1,787.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Brown University Health Morton Hospital Taunton · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE OR CATH ASP PLEURA SPACE W IMAGING GUID | $1,807.08 | $1,807.08 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $1,839.00 | $1,839.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $1,924.00 | $1,924.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $1,950.00 | $1,950.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| HealthAlliance - Clinton Hospital one side Leominster · Worcester, MA HC Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Asp W/Imaging|RIGHT SIDE | $2,209.00 | $2,209.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Saint Anne's Hospital Fall River · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC THORACENTESIS NEEDLE OR CATH ASP PLEURA SPACE W IMAGING GUID | $2,299.99 | $2,299.99 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $2,444.00 | $2,444.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UMass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital Southbridge · Worcester, MA HC Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Asp W/Imaging | $2,516.00 | $2,516.00 | Apr 3, 2026 source file |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $2,548.00 | $2,548.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UMass Memorial Medical Center Worcester · Worcester, MA HC Thoracentesis Ndl/Cath Asp W/Imaging | $2,575.00 | $2,575.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Berkshire Medical Center one side Pittsfield · Pittsfield, MA Aspirate Pleura w/Img LT | $3,004.75 | $3,162.89 | Oct 9, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Hospital one side Great Barrington · Pittsfield, MA Aspirate Pleura w/Img RT | $3,004.75 | $3,162.89 | Oct 7, 2026 source file |
| North Adams Regional Hospital one side North Adams · Pittsfield, MA Aspirate Pleura w/Img RT | $3,004.75 | $3,162.89 | Oct 9, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $4,150.00 | $4,150.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC THORAC NEEDLE OR CATH OR PLEURAL SPACE W IMAGING | $5,697.00 | $5,697.00 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 19 | $778.05 | $1,744.50 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 4 | $1,488.50 | $1,647.79 |
| Pittsfield, MA | 3 | $3,004.75 | $3,004.75 |
| Worcester, MA | 3 | $2,209.00 | $2,516.00 |
| Springfield, MA | 2 | $975.00 | $977.50 |
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
- 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
- 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.