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Upper Neck Spinal Fluid Puncture with Injection

North Carolina rates for HCPCS 61055

This procedure inserts a needle near the base of the skull or the top of the neck to reach the fluid-filled space surrounding the spinal cord, followed by an injection that may be a contrast dye to support imaging or a medication given for treatment. It provides an alternative access point when a standard lower-back spinal puncture is not suitable.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Upper Neck Spinal Fluid Puncture with Injection cost?

$652

Typical total for the visit. In North Carolina, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $652 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $195 to the doctor who performs it, and $457 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 6 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$195$123 to $275
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$457$191 to $3,981

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $457 · 10th to 90th $115 to $6,166Professionalmedian $195 · 10th to 90th $115 to $380
$100$200$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $457professional $195

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
$114.82
Median
$1,288.25
Typical High
$7,585.78
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$114.82
Median
$138.04
Typical High
$436.52
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$147.91
Median
$275.42
Typical High
$346.74
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$151.36
Median
$204.17
Typical High
$309.03
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$114.82
Median
$158.49
Typical High
$281.84
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$204.17
Median
$204.17
Typical High
$323.59
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$363.08
Median
$891.25
Typical High
$2,089.30
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$123.03
Median
$165.96
Typical High
$269.15
Wellcare
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,995.26
Median
$1,995.26
Typical High
$19,498.45
Wellcare
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,174.90
Median
$1,174.90
Typical High
$1,174.90

Where North Carolina sits

The same service costs 25.1 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

North Carolina· 42nd of 49

$652

$195 physician + $457 facility

NJ $5,633WV $225

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.