Prices at 10 hospitals in Houston, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,259 — 50% above the US median ($838), roughly 7.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital | Houston, TX | $474 | $981 | — | — | 14.4% |
| Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center | Houston, TX | $836 | — | ★ 4/5 | 252 min | 14.6% |
| Memorial Hermann Hospital System | Houston, TX | $836 | — | ★ 3/5 | 229 min | 14.8% |
| St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage | Houston, TX | $914 | $1,062 | ★ 4/5 | 214 min | 15.0% |
| St Joseph Medical Center | Houston, TX | $1,603 | $654 | ★ 3/5 | 189 min | 15.2% |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest | Houston, TX | $2,758 | $2,017 | ★ 2/5 | 140 min | 15.6% |
| HCA Houston Healthcare West | Houston, TX | $2,758 | $2,017 | ★ 1/5 | 112 min | 15.6% |
| Healthbridge Childrens's Hospital of Houston | Houston, TX | $2,758 | $2,017 | — | — | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated August 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $1,259 — about 7.6× the Medicare rate ($165). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($330).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,613 list price could save about $1,354 (52%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Houston
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Obodoechina, FNP | Nurse Practitioner | Houston, TX | 28 |
| Susanna Girocco, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 25 |
| Jacob Kuruvila, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 24 |
| Geena Arackal, NP | Nurse Practitioner | Houston, TX | 23 |
| Jennie Chen, P-A.-C | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 20 |
| Jasmine Green, PA | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 20 |
| Jesvin Samuel, NP-C | Nurse Practitioner | Houston, TX | 19 |
| Samiira Abdullahi, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Houston, TX | 17 |
| Janice Eads, MSN, AGACNP-BC | Nurse Practitioner | Houston, TX | 17 |
All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices in Texas → · All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices (national) · All hospitals in Houston