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Spinal Fluid Tap At The Base Of The Skull

New Hampshire rates for HCPCS 61050

Withdrawal of spinal fluid using a needle placed at the base of the skull or in the upper neck rather than in the lower back. It is used when the usual lower-back route is not possible or has failed, for example because of scarring, infection at the site, or a blockage in the spinal canal. The fluid is sent for testing or drawn off to relieve pressure.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Spinal Fluid Tap At The Base Of The Skull cost?

$1,684

Typical total for the visit. In New Hampshire, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $1,684 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $135 to the doctor who performs it, and $1,549 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 5 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$135$89.13 to $158
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$1,549$1,288 to $7,413

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $1,549 · 10th to 90th $398 to $9,772Professionalmedian $135 · 10th to 90th $76 to $219
$100$200$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $1,549professional $135

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$100.00
Median
$2,398.83
Typical High
$9,772.37
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$89.13
Median
$89.13
Typical High
$151.36
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,288.25
Median
$1,412.54
Typical High
$2,630.27
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$69.18
Median
$138.04
Typical High
$204.17
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$100.00
Median
$177.83
Typical High
$239.88
Harvard Pilgrim
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7,413.10
Median
$7,413.10
Typical High
$7,413.10
Harvard Pilgrim
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$79.43
Median
$131.83
Typical High
$218.78
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7,413.10
Median
$7,413.10
Typical High
$7,413.10
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$79.43
Median
$154.88
Typical High
$281.84

Where New Hampshire sits

The same service costs 36.8 times more in New Jersey than in West Virginia. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility fee

New Hampshire· 28th of 49

$1,684

$135 physician + $1,549 facility

NJ $5,593WV $152

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.