Spinal tap cost in Austin, TX
In Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 18 hospitals list a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $563.43 to $3,487.00, with a median of $1,338.42. The lowest listed price is at Ascension Cedar Park — $774.99 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $1,045.65 at 239 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,338.42, is 56% above the US median of $859.25.
- That is 1.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($721.17).
- Austin, TX ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in Texas by median, cheapest first.
- 8 of 18 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 11 cities for code 62270, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 11, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 2, 2024 and Oct 30, 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Cedar Park lowest Cedar Park, TX · (512) 528-7000 S-SPINAL TAP DIAGNST File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $563.43 | $1,565.08 | $77.53–$969.15 | 64% |
| Texas Children's Hospital - Austin Austin, TX · (832) 824-1100 TC LUMBAR PUNCTURE, DIAGN, W/O INJECTION+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 5, 2026 · source file | $1,134.98 | $1,694.00 | $262.86–$1,609.30 | 33% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lakeway Lakeway, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP, DIAGNOSTIC+1 more line at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,326.88 | $2,211.47 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Buda Buda, TX · (737) 999-6200 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP - DIAGNOSTIC+1 more line at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,326.88 | $2,211.47 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Emergency Medical Center - Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP - DIAGNOSTIC+1 more line at this price File of Jun 3, 2026 · source file | $1,326.88 | $2,211.47 | $744.55–$1,437.46 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville Pflugerville, TX · (512) 654-6100 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP - DIAGNOSTIC+1 more line at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,326.88 | $2,211.47 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock Round Rock, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP, DIAGNOSTIC+1 more line at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,326.88 | $2,211.47 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Austin Austin, TX · (512) 654-2100 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP - DIAGNOSTIC+1 more line at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $1,326.88 | $2,211.47 | $71.00–$3,500.00 | 40% |
| Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Round Rock Round Rock, TX LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,331.00 | $1,331.00 | — | — |
| The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center Austin, TX · (512) 327-0000 SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC File of Sep 2, 2024 · source file | $1,345.83 | $3,961.24 | $618.58–$2,772.87 | 66% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Taylor Taylor, TX · (512) 352-7611 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP, DIAGNOSTIC+1 more line at this price File of Oct 30, 2026 · source file | $1,379.96 | $2,299.93 | $72.00–$3,875.00 | 40% |
| St. David's South Austin Medical Center Bastrop, TX · (512) 448-7107 PUNCTURE LUMBAR DX+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,432.00 | $1,432.00 | $243.44–$4,496.00 | — |
| St. David's Round Rock Medical Center Leander, TX · (512) 341-1000 PUNCTURE LUMBAR DX File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,119.00 | $2,119.00 | $360.23–$1,907.10 | — |
| St. David's North Austin Medical Center Austin, TX · (512) 901-1000 PUNCTURE LUMBAR DX File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,129.00 | $3,129.00 | $2,080.78 | — |
| Heart Hosp of Austin at St. David's Round Rock Round Rock, TX Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic; +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,487.00 | $3,487.00 | $282.06–$4,496.00 | — |
| St. David's Medical Center Manor, TX · (512) 476-7111 Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic; +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,487.00 | $3,487.00 | $282.06–$4,496.00 | — |
| Heart Hosp of Austin Austin, TX Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic; +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,487.00 | $3,487.00 | $282.06–$4,496.00 | — |
| St. David's Georgetown Hospital Georgetown, TX · (512) 476-7111 PUNCTURE LUMBAR DX File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,487.00 | $3,487.00 | $2,350.24 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $563.43, median $1,338.42, highest $3,487.00 — a 6.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $1,326.88. 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 13 of 17 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 spinal tap is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Spinal tap explained.