Spinal tap cost in Little Rock, AR
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 3 hospitals list a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $750.00 to $923.78, with a median of $895.20. The lowest listed price is at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — $145.20 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $526.18 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities for code 62270, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 21, 2025 and Nov 21, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences lowest Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 REMOVAL OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID WITH LOWER BACK SPINAL TAP FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST | $750.00 | $1,250.00 | $250.00–$1,253.96 | 40% | — source file |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 DX LMBR SPI PNXR | $795.00 | $1,325.00 | $250.00–$1,306.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 219-7000 Lumbar Puncture Dx | $895.20 | $1,119.00 | $656.11–$1,656.00 | 20% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 219-7000 Lumbar Puncture Dx 62270 | $895.20 | $1,119.00 | $656.11–$1,656.00 | 20% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 219-7000 62270-Lumbar Puncture Diagnostic | $895.20 | $1,119.00 | $656.11–$1,656.00 | 20% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 DX LMBR SPI PNXR | $923.78 | $1,026.42 | $659.98–$1,026.42 | 10% | — source file |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 REMOVAL OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID WITH LOWER BACK SPINAL TAP FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST | $2,953.60 | $3,281.78 | $659.98–$1,477.50 | 10% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $750.00, median $895.20, highest $923.78 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 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.