Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) cost in Maryland

Prices at 15 hospitals in Maryland, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $701 — 16% below the US median ($830), roughly 4.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Holy Cross Hospital Silver Spring, MD $138 $138 ★ 2/5 314 min —
Western Maryland Regional Medical Center Cumberland, MD $176 $147 ★ 4/5 235 min —
Greater Baltimore Medical Center Baltimore, MD $306 $142 ★ 5/5 228 min —
University of Md Shore Medical Ctr at Chestertown Chestertown, MD $474 — ★ 5/5 185 min —
Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, MD $660 $184 — — —
University of Md Medical Center Midtown Campus Baltimore, MD $689 — ★ 3/5 243 min —
University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore, MD $701 — ★ 3/5 309 min —
University of Md Charles Regional Medical Center La Plata, MD $701 — ★ 3/5 262 min —
University of Md St Joseph Medical Center Towson, MD $701 — ★ 5/5 264 min —
Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, Inc Annapolis, MD $721 — ★ 3/5 245 min —
Tidalhealth Peninsula Regional, Inc Salisbury, MD $1,023 $1,044 ★ 4/5 177 min —
University of Md Shore Medical Center at Easton Easton, MD $1,642 — ★ 4/5 179 min —
Mercy Medical Center Inc Baltimore, MD $3,460 — ★ 3/5 237 min —
VA Maryland Healthcare System-Baltimore Baltimore, MD $3,460 — ★ 2/5 — —

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)
$715
Cash / self-pay
$701
Insurer-negotiated
$144
Medicare pays
$165
$153$2,733
Median cash $701  ·  Medicare $165  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $701 — about 4.2× 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 $715 list price could save about $14 (2%).

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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.

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