Spinal tap cost in Portland, ME — inpatient
In Portland-South Portland, ME, 5 hospitals list a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic as an inpatient: from $129.00 to $2,519.55, with a median of $404.35. The lowest listed price is at York Hospital — $275.35 less than the median here. Across Maine, the median is $369.70 at 20 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 62270, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 9, 2025 and Sep 9, 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 Portland-South Portland, ME.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York Hospital lowest York, ME · (207) 351-2478 PUNCTURE SPINAL DIAGNOSTIC | $129.00 | $215.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME PR DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE | $220.25 | $220.25 | $59.48–$282.04 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 WELLS DOC. LUMBAR PUNCTURE | $345.60 | $576.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 PR DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE | $404.35 | $404.35 | $59.48–$282.04 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 WELLS LUMBAR PUNCTURE | $442.20 | $737.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 ER LUMBAR PUCTURE | $442.20 | $737.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR | $451.10 | $1,735.00 | $1,127.75–$1,294.31 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME PUNCTURE SPINAL LUMBAR DIAG | $451.10 | $1,735.00 | $1,127.75–$1,294.31 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Portland, ME LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTC | $451.10 | $1,735.00 | $1,127.75–$1,294.31 | 74% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 LUMBAR PUNCTURE | $463.20 | $772.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 HC DX LUMBAR PUNCTURE W/O IMG | $508.25 | $508.25 | $373.87–$477.76 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 PR DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE - AMBULATORY RATE | $556.35 | $556.35 | $59.48–$282.04 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE/DIAG W/O IMG | $592.75 | $592.75 | $436.03–$557.19 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 LUMBAR PUNCTURE (TECH) | $754.20 | $1,257.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 SPP LUMBAR PUNCTURE DX 62270 | $754.20 | $1,257.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 LUMBAR PUNCTURE CLINIC | $831.60 | $1,386.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 IR LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC | $1,059.60 | $1,766.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE/DIAG W/O IMG | $1,088.55 | $1,088.55 | $800.74–$1,023.24 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR PUNCTURE | $1,152.60 | $1,921.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 DX LUMBAR SPINE PNXR | $1,237.20 | $2,062.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE/DIAG W/O IMG | $2,519.55 | $2,519.55 | $1,778.80–$2,378.46 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $129.00, median $404.35, highest $2,519.55 — a 19.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $404.35 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 62270 ($846.95). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Mercy Hospital Portland, MEPF SPINAL PUNCTURE LMBR DIAG | $74.10 | file |