Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) cost in New Orleans, LA

Prices at 4 hospitals in New Orleans, LA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $305 — 63% below the US median ($830), roughly 1.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Ochsner Medical Center Acute New Orleans, LA $172 $618 ★ 4/5 174 min —
New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA $290 $1,050 — 140 min —
University Medical Center New Orleans New Orleans, LA $319 $10,000 ★ 2/5 327 min —
Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA $618 $69 — — —

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)
$1,632
Cash / self-pay
$305
Insurer-negotiated
$834
Medicare pays
$165
$207$528
Median cash $305  ·  Medicare $165  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $305 — about 1.8× the Medicare rate ($165). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($330).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,632 list price could save about $1,327 (81%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
Quick fill:

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

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