Cash prices Maryland Outpatient

Strep test cost in Maryland without insurance

In Maryland, the median cash price for Rapid strep test is $72.37 across 12 hospitals, from $32.40 to $92.37. The lowest is at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (Towson). The US median is $59.13.

Why Maryland prices look low: Maryland is the only state where a commission (the HSCRC) sets hospital rates for every payer, so its hospitals publish prices far below the rest of the country. A separate physician fee may still apply.

Maryland law (Health-General §19-214.1) requires hospitals to give free medically necessary care to patients with family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and to cut the bill by 75% up to 250% and 60% up to 300%. With medical debt above 25% of family income in a year, discounts reach up to 500%. Immigration status does not count. Ask the hospital for its financial assistance application. Other states' laws.

A strep test checks a throat swab for the bacteria that cause strep throat. The rapid test (87880) gives a result in minutes in the office. If it is negative in a child, doctors often send a throat culture (87070) to confirm, which takes a day or two. The test price is separate from the visit, so the total depends on where you go.

Collected Sep 29, 2026 One price per hospital: its lowest outpatient cash price for the code

Strep test prices in Maryland by type

87880 is the rapid strep antigen test and is used in the state table. 87070 is a bacterial culture of a throat or other swab, used to confirm a negative rapid test.

Procedure	Hospitals	Range	Median	US median
Rapid strep test Rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually · code 87880	12	$32.40–$92.37	$72.37	$59.13
Bacterial culture (wound) Bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) · code 87070	14	$20.85–$147.78	$112.37	$67.50

Procedure The service and its billing code (CPT or HCPCS). Opens the comparison of every hospital that prices it. More

Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.

Middle 80% Cash prices of most hospitals: a tenth of hospitals charge less than the first number (P10), a tenth charge more than the second (P90). More

Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More

US median The median cash price across all US hospitals that publish one for this code.

Outpatient cash prices in Maryland. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest cash price for the code; prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Pick a procedure to compare every hospital in the state.

Lowest Rapid strep test prices in Maryland

Strep test cost in other states

Paying cash: what to do

Ask for the price of the test and the visit separately; urgent care and clinics often quote them together.
A clinic or urgent care center usually costs much less than an emergency room for the same test.
A negative rapid test in a child often leads to a second charge for the culture, so ask about it up front.