Pleural Effusion with Complications — what U.S. hospitals charge
MS-DRG 187 · Inpatient stay · 16 U.S. hospitals publish a price
Cheapest quarter
under $31,927
Typical charge
$55,343
Dearest quarter
over $63,545
Actually paid
$10,085
The middle U.S. hospital bills $55,343 for Pleural Effusion with Complications. The dearest hospitals charge about 2.9x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $10,085 per case.
These are charges, not quotes. What you pay depends on your insurance and your own case. The figures matter because the charge is where an uninsured or out-of-network bill starts.
Pleural Effusion with Complications cost by state
The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.
| State | Hospitals | Typical charge | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 4 | $85,695 | $58,016 – $116,389 |
Where Pleural Effusion with Complications is charged least
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
Doylestown Hospital
Doylestown, PA |
$26,776 | $7,139 |
|
The Nebraska Methodist Hospital
Omaha, NE |
$28,449 | $7,816 |
|
Ochsner Medical Center Acute
New Orleans, LA |
$30,460 | $8,850 |
|
Christiana Hospital
Newark, DE |
$31,491 | $9,449 |
|
Cox Medical Centers
Springfield, MO |
$32,072 | $7,120 |
|
Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital
Evanston, IL |
$32,094 | $8,709 |
|
Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Sarasota, FL |
$51,591 | $7,812 |
|
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA |
$53,265 | $13,480 |
|
Northwestern Medicine Central Dupage Hospital
Winfield, IL |
$57,421 | $8,240 |
|
Garnet Health Medical Center
Middletown, NY |
$58,016 | $10,590 |
|
Adventhealth Orlando
Orlando, FL |
$62,204 | $8,602 |
|
Suny/Stony Brook University Hospital
Stony Brook, NY |
$63,440 | $13,060 |
Where it is charged most
Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.
| Hospital | Charged | Actually paid |
|---|---|---|
|
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, NY |
$116,389 | $20,173 |
|
Nyu Langone Hospitals
New York, NY |
$107,949 | $13,892 |
|
Community Medical Center
Toms River, NJ |
$65,530 | $8,531 |
|
Bryn Mawr Hospital
Bryn Mawr, PA |
$63,860 | $7,899 |
|
Suny/Stony Brook University Hospital
Stony Brook, NY |
$63,440 | $13,060 |
|
Adventhealth Orlando
Orlando, FL |
$62,204 | $8,602 |
|
Garnet Health Medical Center
Middletown, NY |
$58,016 | $10,590 |
|
Northwestern Medicine Central Dupage Hospital
Winfield, IL |
$57,421 | $8,240 |
|
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA |
$53,265 | $13,480 |
|
Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Sarasota, FL |
$51,591 | $7,812 |
|
Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital
Evanston, IL |
$32,094 | $8,709 |
|
Cox Medical Centers
Springfield, MO |
$32,072 | $7,120 |
Questions people ask
What do U.S. hospitals charge for Pleural Effusion with Complications?
Across 16 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Pleural Effusion with Complications is $55,343. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $31,927 and the dearest quarter over $63,545.
Why do hospitals charge such different amounts for the same procedure?
Because a hospital charge is a list price it sets itself, not a regulated rate. For Pleural Effusion with Complications, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 2.9x what the cheapest tenth charge for the same coded work. Insurers negotiate their own rates from those lists, which is why the charge and what is actually paid can be very far apart.
Is that what I would actually pay?
No. $10,085 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $60,338. If you have insurance, your plan pays a negotiated rate and you pay your deductible and coinsurance. If you are uninsured or out of network, the hospital's charge is where your bill starts — which is why the gap matters. Ask for a written good-faith estimate before treatment.
What this code covers
CMS records this work as MS-DRG 187: “PLEURAL EFFUSION WITH CC”. A DRG covers a whole inpatient stay rather than a single item, so the charge includes the room, the procedure and the care around it. Codes that mention complications carry a different, usually higher price.