Spinal tap cost in Brownsville, TX
In Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $705.00 to $4,871.77, with a median of $2,788.39. The lowest listed price is at Harlingen Medical Center — $2,083.39 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $1,045.65 at 229 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 62270, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 LUMBAR PUNCTURE | $705.00 | $1,796.43 | $90.54–$3,445.55 | 61% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 LUMBAR PUNCTURE DX | $705.00 | $4,306.94 | $90.54–$3,445.55 | 84% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 XR LUMBAR PUNCTURE - 62270 - 407001012 | $705.00 | $3,048.95 | $90.54–$3,445.55 | 77% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 XR LUMBAR PUNCTURE - 62270 - 416701012 | $705.00 | $1,796.43 | $90.54–$3,445.55 | 61% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Regional Medical Center Brownsville, TX · (956) 350-7000 Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic; | $4,871.77 | $4,871.77 | $282.06–$4,352.00 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Regional Medical Center Brownsville, TX · (956) 350-7000 PUNCTURE LUMBAR DX | $4,871.77 | $4,871.77 | $300.00–$4,141.00 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $705.00, median $2,788.39, highest $4,871.77 — a 6.9× difference within the same market.
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.