Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) cost in New Mexico

Prices at 11 hospitals in New Mexico, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,259 — 52% above the US median ($830), roughly 7.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services Gallup, NM $363 $483 — 136 min —
Los Alamos Medical Center Los Alamos, NM $527 $2,022 — 168 min —
Unm Hospital Albuquerque, NM $721 $695 ★ 2/5 273 min —
Artesia General Hospital Artesia, NM $748 $383 — 99 min —
Holy Cross Hospital a Div of Taos Health Systems Taos, NM $754 $2,183 ★ 1/5 92 min —
Union County General Hospital Clayton, NM $1,259 $1,618 — 132 min —
Lovelace Medical Center Albuquerque, NM $1,518 $2,075 ★ 2/5 212 min —
Lovelace Women's Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,518 $2,075 ★ 4/5 205 min —
Lovelace Westside Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,518 $2,075 ★ 4/5 159 min —
Lovelace Regional Hospital-Roswell Roswell, NM $1,518 $2,075 ★ 2/5 130 min —
Memorial Medical Center Las Cruces, NM $1,620 $1,731 ★ 2/5 206 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)
$1,798
Cash / self-pay
$1,259
Insurer-negotiated
$2,022
Medicare pays
$165
$527$1,518
Median cash $1,259  ·  Medicare $165  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

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 $1,798 list price could save about $539 (30%).

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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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Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) cost in other states

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