Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) cost in Iowa

Prices at 47 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $478 — 42% below the US median ($830), roughly 2.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Clarke County Hospital Osceola, IA $99 $89 ★ 5/5 104 min —
CHI Health-Mercy Corning Corning, IA $191 $339 ★ 3/5 124 min —
Mercyone Newton Medical Center Newton, IA $192 $28 ★ 4/5 155 min —
Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center Mason City, IA $192 $28 ★ 2/5 193 min —
Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA $192 $28 ★ 4/5 223 min —
Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque, IA $192 $28 ★ 3/5 204 min —
Mercyone Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA $192 $28 ★ 1/5 244 min —
Mercyone Centerville Medical Center Centerville, IA $192 $28 — 130 min —
CHI Health Missouri Valley Missouri Valley, IA $195 $339 ★ 4/5 105 min —
Story County Hospital Nevada, IA $204 $54 — 102 min —
Jones Regional Medical Center Anamosa, IA $306 $157 ★ 4/5 116 min —
Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Humboldt, IA $324 $288 — 100 min —
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Council Bluffs, IA $331 $711 ★ 3/5 150 min —
Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center Sumner, IA $346 $272 — 132 min —
Greene County Medical Center Jefferson, IA $346 $449 — 104 min —
Montgomery County Memorial Hospital Red Oak, IA $348 $304 — 113 min —
Pocahontas Community Hospital Pocahontas, IA $351 $340 — 120 min —
Cherokee Regional Medical Center Cherokee, IA $385 $428 ★ 2/5 134 min —
Van Diest Medical Center Webster City, IA $407 $347 ★ 5/5 103 min —
Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown Marshalltown, IA $444 $252 ★ 3/5 162 min —
Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA $444 $277 ★ 3/5 163 min —
Palo Alto County Hospital Emmetsburg, IA $446 $444 — 103 min —
Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital and Clinics West Union, IA $471 $748 ★ 5/5 85 min —
Stewart Memorial Community Hospital Lake City, IA $478 — — 127 min —
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA $486 $695 ★ 5/5 171 min —

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 October 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$631
Cash / self-pay
$478
Insurer-negotiated
$359
Medicare pays
$165
$192$1,674
Median cash $478  ·  Medicare $165  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $478 — about 2.9× the Medicare rate ($165). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($330).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $631 list price could save about $153 (24%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) cost in other states

All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →