Spinal tap cost in Montana
In Montana, 19 hospitals publish a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $92.80 to $1,020.60, with a median of $436.00. The lowest price is at St. Patrick Hospital (Missoula). The highest price is 11.0× the lowest.
- The median here, $436.00, is 49% below the US median of $859.25.
- That is 0.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($721.17).
- Montana ranks 2nd of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- 1 of 19 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 Nov 10, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$92.80St. Patrick Hospital
Median$436.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$1,020.60in Montana
Lowest saves$343.20vs the median
Hospitals in Montana, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Patrick Hospital lowest Missoula · Missoula, MT HC PR 62270 SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $92.80 | $116.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence St Joseph Medical Center Polson · Polson, MT HC PR ED 62270 SPINAL FLUID TAP DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $108.80 | $136.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Logan Health Medical Center Kalispell · Kalispell, MT SPINAL FLUID TAP DIAGNOSTIC | $165.10 | $254.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Logan Health - Chester Chester · Chester, MT 62270 Lumbar Puncture, Diagnostic | $229.94 | $353.75 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sidney Health Center Sidney · Sidney, MT SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DX | $256.97 | $415.00 | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| Roundup Memorial Healthcare Roundup · Roundup, MT Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $324.00 | $324.00 | Jul 30, 2026 source file |
| Logan Health - Shelby Shelby · Shelby, MT 62270 ED PROC LUMBAR PUNCTURE- HOSPITAL | $327.44 | $503.75 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Community Hospital of Anaconda Anaconda · Anaconda, MT Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $382.58 | $510.10 | Nov 9, 2026 source file |
| Livingston HealthCare Livingston · Livingston, MT Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $419.90 | $442.00 | Jun 25, 2026 source file |
| Deaconess Regional Medical Center Bozeman · Bozeman, MT HC PF SPINAL PUNCTURELUMBARDIAGNOSTIC | $436.00 | $545.00 | Jan 16, 2026 source file |
| Poplar Community Hospital Poplar · Poplar, MT Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $505.13 | $673.50 | Aug 3, 2026 source file |
| Trinity Hospital Wolf Point · Wolf Point, MT Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $505.13 | $673.50 | Aug 3, 2026 source file |
| Big Sky Medical Center Big Sky · Bozeman, MT HC ED SPINAL PUNCTURELUMBARDIAGNOSTIC | $601.60 | $752.00 | Jan 15, 2026 source file |
| Barrett Hospital & Healthcare Dillon · Dillon, MT Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $677.35 | $713.00 | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Logan Health - Whitefish Whitefish · Kalispell, MT LUMBAR PUNCTURE, DIAGNOSTIC | $702.32 | $1,080.50 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mountainview Medical Center White Sulphur Springs · White Sulphur Springs, MT LUMBAR PUNCTURE DX | $750.12 | $937.65 | Jul 13, 2026 source file |
| Logan Health - Conrad Conrad · Conrad, MT 62270 ED PROC LUMBAR PUNCTURE- HOSPITAL | $751.08 | $1,155.50 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St. Peter's Health Helena · Helena, MT RADIOLOGY - DIAGNOSTIC - GENERAL CLASSIFICATION | $782.84 | $920.99 | Mar 16, 2026 source file |
| Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital Glasgow · Glasgow, MT Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $1,020.60 | $1,134.00 | Aug 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bozeman, MT | 2 | $436.00 | $518.80 |
| Kalispell, MT | 2 | $165.10 | $433.71 |
| Anaconda, MT | 1 | $382.58 | $382.58 |
| Chester, MT | 1 | $229.94 | $229.94 |
| Conrad, MT | 1 | $751.08 | $751.08 |
| Dillon, MT | 1 | $677.35 | $677.35 |
| Glasgow, MT | 1 | $1,020.60 | $1,020.60 |
| Helena, MT | 1 | $782.84 | $782.84 |
| Livingston, MT | 1 | $419.90 | $419.90 |
| Missoula, MT | 1 | $92.80 | $92.80 |
| Polson, MT | 1 | $108.80 | $108.80 |
| Poplar, MT | 1 | $505.13 | $505.13 |
| Roundup, MT | 1 | $324.00 | $324.00 |
| Shelby, MT | 1 | $327.44 | $327.44 |
| Sidney, MT | 1 | $256.97 | $256.97 |
| White Sulphur Springs, MT | 1 | $750.12 | $750.12 |
| Wolf Point, MT | 1 | $505.13 | $505.13 |
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
- Massachusetts$1,463.00
- Michigan$856.05
- Minnesota$742.15
- Mississippi$476.70
- Missouri$667.93
- 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.