Spinal tap cost in New Mexico
In New Mexico, 16 hospitals publish a cash price for spinal tap (lumbar puncture), diagnostic: from $416.47 to $1,619.65, with a median of $853.31. The lowest price is at Alta Vista Regional Hospital (Las Vegas). The highest price is 3.9× the lowest.
- The median here, $853.31, is about the same as the US median of $859.25.
- That is 1.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($721.17).
- New Mexico ranks 25th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
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 4, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$416.47Alta Vista Regional Hospital
Median$853.31half of hospitals charge less
Highest$1,619.65in New Mexico
Lowest saves$436.84vs the median
Hospitals in New Mexico, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista Regional Hospital lowest Las Vegas · Las Vegas, NM S-SPINAL TAP DIAGNST | $416.47 | $832.94 | Apr 16, 2026 source file |
| Cibola General Hospital Grants · Grants, NM 62270 ANES LUMBAR PUNCTURE | $477.10 | $596.37 | Mar 11, 2026 source file |
| Los Alamos Medical Center Los Alamos · Albuquerque, NM Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic | $527.17 | $878.62 | Jul 10, 2026 source file |
| Lovelace Regional Hospital - Roswell Roswell · Roswell, NM Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $537.60 | $1,792.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services Gallup · Gallup, NM 62270 Spinal Puncture: Diagnostic Charge | $666.00 | $2,221.00 | — source file |
| University of New Mexico Hospital Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM REMOVAL OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID WITH LOWER BACK SPINAL TAP FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST | $720.50 | $1,310.00 | Mar 25, 2026 source file |
| Holy Cross Hospital a Div of Taos Health Systems Taos · Taos, NM LUMBAR TAP | $754.00 | $942.50 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Covenant Hospital Hobbs Hobbs · Hobbs, NM HC ED SPINAL PUNCTURE LUMBAR DIAGNOSTIC CDM | $832.02 | $1,981.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mimbres Valley Medical Center Deming · Deming, NM Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $874.59 | $1,749.18 | Sep 17, 2026 source file |
| Carlsbad Medical Center Carlsbad · Carlsbad-Artesia, NM SPINAL FLUID TAP, DIAGNOSTIC | $997.89 | $9,978.92 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| San Juan Regional Medical Center Farmington · Farmington, NM Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $1,104.00 | $2,208.00 | Oct 8, 2026 source file |
| Mountain View Regional Medical Center Las Cruces · Las Cruces, NM S-SPINAL TAP DIAGNST | $1,153.17 | $4,271.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lovelace Medical Center Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $1,518.30 | $5,061.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Lovelace Westside Hospital Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $1,547.40 | $5,158.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Lovelace Womens Hospital Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM Removal of cerebrospinal fluid with lower back spinal tap for diagnostic test | $1,547.40 | $5,158.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Memorial Medical Center Las Cruces · Las Cruces, NM Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic | $1,619.65 | $2,699.42 | Jul 10, 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
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | 5 | $527.17 | $1,518.30 |
| Las Cruces, NM | 2 | $1,153.17 | $1,386.41 |
| Carlsbad-Artesia, NM | 1 | $997.89 | $997.89 |
| Deming, NM | 1 | $874.59 | $874.59 |
| Farmington, NM | 1 | $1,104.00 | $1,104.00 |
| Grants, NM | 1 | $477.10 | $477.10 |
| Gallup, NM | 1 | $666.00 | $666.00 |
| Hobbs, NM | 1 | $832.02 | $832.02 |
| Las Vegas, NM | 1 | $416.47 | $416.47 |
| Roswell, NM | 1 | $537.60 | $537.60 |
| Taos, NM | 1 | $754.00 | $754.00 |
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
- Montana$436.00
- Nebraska$508.80
- Nevada$785.35
- New Hampshire$548.50
- New Jersey$943.92
- 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.