Spinal tap cost in Seattle, WA — inpatient
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 13 hospitals list a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic as an inpatient: from $260.52 to $2,915.90, with a median of $761.82. The lowest listed price is at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett — $501.30 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $1,006.70 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 11 cities for code 62270, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett lowest Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC PR ED 62270 SPINAL FLUID TAP DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $260.52 | $501.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC | $621.42 | $2,155.89 | $1,552.25–$1,616.92 | 71% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC | $655.72 | $2,155.89 | $1,552.25–$1,616.92 | 70% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC | $658.32 | $2,155.89 | $927.04–$1,940.31 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC | $676.57 | $2,155.89 | $1,552.25–$1,616.92 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC | $714.03 | $2,155.89 | $1,552.25–$1,616.92 | 67% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association Enumclaw, WA HC LUMBAR PUNCTURE DIAGNOSTIC | $761.82 | $2,155.89 | $603.65–$1,940.31 | 65% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Lumbar Puncture Diagnostic | $1,181.00 | $2,362.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 SPINAL PUNCT, LUMB, DIAG | $1,530.00 | $3,000.00 | $1,921.50–$2,400.00 | 49% | — source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 ED - SPINAL PUNCTURE, LUMBAR, DIAGNOSTIC, FAC | $1,530.00 | $3,000.00 | $1,921.50–$2,400.00 | 49% | — source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC XR LUMBAR PUNCTURE | $1,706.40 | $2,133.00 | $181.31–$2,619.46 | 20% | — source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR, DX | $1,706.40 | $2,133.00 | $181.31–$2,619.46 | 20% | — source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE | $1,783.60 | $3,430.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC ED SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $1,783.60 | $3,430.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC SPINAL FLUID TAP, DIAGNOSTIC | $1,783.60 | $3,430.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE | $2,132.64 | $4,443.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $2,132.64 | $4,443.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $2,132.64 | $4,443.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $2,132.64 | $4,443.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE | $2,132.64 | $4,443.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DIAGNOSTIC LUMBAR SPINAL PUNCTURE | $2,132.64 | $4,443.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Spinal Lumbar Puncture | $2,915.90 | $2,915.90 | $734.81–$2,799.26 | — | — source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Dx Lumb Puncture Rad Px | $6,596.50 | $6,596.50 | $1,662.32–$6,332.64 | — | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $260.52, median $761.82, highest $2,915.90 — a 11.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $761.82 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 8 of 9 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 6 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.