Spinal tap cost in Anchorage, AK
In Anchorage, AK, 3 hospitals list a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $571.20 to $3,120.00, with a median of $2,634.06. The lowest listed price is at Mat-Su Valley Medical Center — $2,062.86 less than the median here. Across Alaska, the median is $1,437.54 at 9 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 62270, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 20, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Anchorage, AK.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mat-Su Valley Medical Center lowest Palmer, AK · (907) 861-6000 S-Spinal Tab Diagnostic - GL 106 | $571.20 | $1,904.00 | $165.26–$1,827.84 | 70% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mat-Su Valley Medical Center Palmer, AK · (907) 861-6000 S-SPINAL TAP DIAGNST | $1,082.70 | $3,609.00 | $165.26–$3,464.64 | 70% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Alaska Medical Center Anchorage, AK · (907) 562-2211 HC DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE | $2,634.06 | $3,377.00 | — | 22% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Alaska Medical Center Anchorage, AK · (907) 562-2211 HC ED SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $2,634.06 | $3,377.00 | — | 22% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Alaska Medical Center Anchorage, AK · (907) 562-2211 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP, DIAGNOSTIC | $2,634.06 | $3,377.00 | — | 22% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Anchorage, AK · (907) 563-2662 Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $3,120.00 | $3,120.00 | $1,233.00–$2,870.40 | — | Aug 20, 2026 source file |
| Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Anchorage, AK · (907) 563-2662 Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $3,120.00 | $3,120.00 | $1,233.00–$2,870.40 | — | Aug 20, 2026 source file |
| Mat-Su Valley Medical Center Palmer, AK · (907) 861-6000 SPINAL FLUID TAP, DIAGNOSTIC | $6,646.63 | $22,155.44 | $165.26–$21,269.22 | 70% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $571.20, median $2,634.06, highest $3,120.00 — a 5.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $2,634.06. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A spinal tap removes a small amount of spinal fluid from the lower back with a needle. It is used for meningitis, bleeding and some neurological diseases.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the procedure. The lab tests on the fluid are billed separately.