search again

Removal Of Fluid Or Air From Around The Lung

Nationwide rates for HCPCS 32554

A needle or thin tube is inserted through the chest wall into the space around the lung to remove excess fluid or trapped air, relieving pressure and helping the lung expand more fully. This version is performed without the use of real-time imaging, such as ultrasound, to guide the needle placement.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Removal Of Fluid Or Air From Around The Lung cost?

$2,921

Typical total for the visit. Nationwide, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $2,921 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $229 to the doctor who performs it, and $2,692 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 69 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$229$107 to $437
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$2,692$933 to $4,786

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $2,692 · 10th to 90th $234 to $7,943Professionalmedian $229 · 10th to 90th $85 to $741
$1.0$10.0$100.0$1.0K$10.0K$100.0K$1.0Mfacility $2,692professional $229

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$229.09
Median
$2,570.40
Typical High
$8,511.38
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
50 · Both sides
Typical Low
$707.95
Median
$4,570.88
Typical High
$4,570.88
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$85.11
Median
$223.87
Typical High
$676.08
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,513.56
Median
$3,715.35
Typical High
$9,549.93
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$91.20
Median
$245.47
Typical High
$831.76
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$131.83
Median
$645.65
Typical High
$1,905.46
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$107.15
Median
$257.04
Typical High
$794.33
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$501.19
Median
$1,778.28
Typical High
$4,466.84
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$89.13
Median
$213.80
Typical High
$707.95

What it costs in each state

The same service costs 11.4 times more in New Jersey than in North Dakota. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility fee
NJ $5,122ND $448

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.