Spinal tap cost in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, 33 hospitals publish a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $432.00 to $3,818.06, with a median of $1,463.00. The lowest price is at Holyoke Medical Center (Holyoke). The highest price is 8.8× the lowest.
- The median here, $1,463.00, is 70% above the US median of $859.25.
- That is 2.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($721.17).
- Massachusetts ranks 50th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- 18 of 33 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 62270. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Oct 17, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$432.00Holyoke Medical Center
Median$1,463.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$3,818.06in Massachusetts
Lowest saves$1,031.00vs the median
Hospitals in Massachusetts, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holyoke Medical Center lowest Holyoke · Springfield, MA Spinal fluid tap diagnostic | $432.00 | $432.00 | May 1, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Spinal Puncture Lumbar Diagnostic | $535.95 | $1,191.00 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Spinal Puncture Lumbar Diagnostic | $647.31 | $1,438.47 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| The Mercy Hospital Springfield · Springfield, MA HC Puncture Spinal Lumbar Diagnostic | $656.50 | $1,010.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Milford Regional Medical Center Milford · Worcester, MA Lumbar Puncture Diagnostic | $810.00 | $810.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center South Brockton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Spinal Puncture Lumbar Diagnostic | $813.19 | $1,807.08 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group Fall River · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC Spinal Puncture-Lumbar-Diagnostic | $833.00 | $1,666.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - St. Luke's Hospital St. New Bedford · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC Spinal Puncture-Lumbar-Diagnostic | $833.00 | $1,666.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Spinal Puncture-Lumbar-Diagnostic | $833.00 | $1,666.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $919.00 | $919.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UMass Memorial Medical Center Worcester · Worcester, MA HC Spinal Puncture Lumbar Diagno | $1,001.00 | $1,001.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Lumbar Puncture | $1,028.00 | $1,028.00 | Mar 20, 2026 source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Hcdiagnostic Lumbar Spinal Puncture | $1,040.20 | $1,486.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Hcdiagnostic Lumbar Spinal Puncture | $1,047.90 | $1,497.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Milton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $1,110.00 | $1,110.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UMass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital Southbridge · Worcester, MA HC Lumbar Puncture Diagnostic | $1,313.00 | $1,313.00 | Apr 3, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $1,463.00 | $1,463.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $1,588.00 | $1,588.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Hcdiagnostic Lumbar Spinal Puncture | $1,594.60 | $2,278.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| HealthAlliance - Clinton Hospital Leominster · Worcester, MA HC Lumbar Puncture Diagnostic | $1,715.00 | $1,715.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Spinal puncture | $1,744.50 | $2,326.00 | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH SPINAL FLUID TAP; DX | $1,786.40 | $2,552.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Brown University Health Morton Hospital Taunton · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC LUMB PUNCT SPINAL PUNC DIAG | $1,897.43 | $1,897.43 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $1,950.00 | $1,950.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $2,058.00 | $2,058.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $2,139.00 | $2,139.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $2,167.00 | $2,167.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint Anne's Hospital Fall River · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC LUMB PUNCT SPINAL PUNC DIAG | $2,299.99 | $2,299.99 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Berkshire Medical Center Pittsfield · Pittsfield, MA Spinal Puncture Lmbr DX | $2,303.29 | $2,424.52 | Oct 9, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Hospital Great Barrington · Pittsfield, MA Spinal Puncture Lmbr DX | $2,303.29 | $2,424.52 | Oct 7, 2026 source file |
| North Adams Regional Hospital North Adams · Pittsfield, MA Spinal Puncture Lmbr DX | $2,303.29 | $2,424.52 | Oct 9, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC | $2,732.00 | $2,732.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH DX LMBR SPI PNXR | $3,818.06 | $3,818.06 | Mar 17, 2026 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 20 | $535.95 | $1,525.50 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 4 | $833.00 | $1,365.22 |
| Worcester, MA | 4 | $810.00 | $1,157.00 |
| Pittsfield, MA | 3 | $2,303.29 | $2,303.29 |
| Springfield, MA | 2 | $432.00 | $544.25 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What spinal tap is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Spinal tap explained.
Spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic in other states
- Alabama$674.88
- Alaska$893.88
- Arizona$648.16
- Arkansas$680.68
- California$1,320.80
- Colorado$906.27
- Connecticut$1,147.50
- Delaware$1,149.53
- District of Columbia$999.97, 3 hospitals
- Florida$1,245.30
- Georgia$1,267.32
- Hawaii$1,283.10
- Idaho$842.55
- Illinois$969.60
- Indiana$1,025.25
- Iowa$603.85
- Kansas$554.40
- Kentucky$687.26
- Louisiana$458.49
- Maine$523.25
- Maryland$577.32
- Michigan$856.05
- Minnesota$742.15
- Mississippi$476.70
- Missouri$667.93
- Montana$436.00
- Nebraska$508.80
- Nevada$785.35
- New Hampshire$548.50
- New Jersey$943.92
- New Mexico$853.31
- New York$1,185.00
- North Carolina$813.75
- North Dakota$862.97
- Ohio$1,071.00
- Oklahoma$622.87
- Oregon$995.48
- Pennsylvania$1,222.50
- Puerto Rico$1,050.00, 3 hospitals
- Rhode Island$1,091.65
- South Carolina$1,012.46
- South Dakota$1,018.44
- Tennessee$402.00
- Texas$1,045.65
- Utah$765.59
- Vermont$844.20
- Virginia$859.25
- Washington$992.00
- West Virginia$1,005.50
- Wisconsin$605.00
- Wyoming$725.76
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.