Prices at 15 hospitals in Philadelphia, PA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,192 — 44% above the US median ($830), roughly 7.2× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Christopher's Hospital for Children | Philadelphia, PA | $582 | $307 | — | — | — |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $721 | $758 | ★ 2/5 | 186 min | — |
| Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $725 | $755 | ★ 3/5 | 268 min | — |
| Jefferson Health-Northeast | Philadelphia, PA | $797 | $75 | ★ 2/5 | 316 min | — |
| Thomas Jefferson University Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $834 | $635 | ★ 3/5 | 236 min | — |
| Pennsylvania Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $1,174 | $742 | ★ 4/5 | 280 min | — |
| Hospital of Univ of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $1,210 | $753 | ★ 5/5 | 290 min | — |
| Penn Presbyterian Medical Center | Philadelphia, PA | $1,265 | $753 | ★ 4/5 | 326 min | — |
| Nazareth Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $1,732 | $549 | ★ 2/5 | 222 min | — |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children-Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $3,345 | $83 | — | — | — |
| Philadelphia VA Medical Center | Philadelphia, PA | $5,034 | $2,517 | ★ 5/5 | — | — |
| Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $5,034 | $2,517 | — | — | — |
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)
Typical cash price here is $1,192 — about 7.2× 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 $1,965 list price could save about $773 (39%).
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 Philadelphia
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clyde Markowitz, MD | Neurology | Philadelphia, PA | 82 |
| Sanjeev Vaishnavi, MD | Neurology | Philadelphia, PA | 22 |
| Christopher Brown | Neurology | Philadelphia, PA | 19 |
| Kyra O'brien, MD | Neurology | Philadelphia, PA | 12 |
| Michael Guo | Neurology | Philadelphia, PA | 12 |
| Christopher Perrone, M.D. | Neurology | Philadelphia, PA | 12 |
All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices in Pennsylvania → · All Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) prices (national) · All hospitals in Philadelphia