Blood culture cost in Charlotte, NC — inpatient
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria as an inpatient: from $91.50 to $539.25, with a median of $150.05. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center — $58.55 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $150.05 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 87040, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center lowest Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB AEROBIC BACTERIAL BLOOD CULTURE | $91.50 | $183.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$270.09 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $86.04–$285.10 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$285.10 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$276.09 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$276.09 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$285.10 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$270.09 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$276.09 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $93.03–$264.09 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $100.53–$276.09 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $100.53–$276.09 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC CULTURE BLOOD | $150.05 | $300.10 | $90.93–$285.10 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Cult Blood Isol W Pres ID | $197.37 | $731.00 | $212.72–$252.20 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Cult Blood Isol W Pres ID | $197.37 | $731.00 | $252.20 | 73% | — source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG CULTURE BLOOD BACTERIAL | $276.00 | $276.00 | $218.59–$262.20 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG CULTURE BLOOD BACTERIAL | $276.00 | $276.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 CHG CULTURE BLOOD BACTERIAL | $276.00 | $276.00 | $218.59–$262.20 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB AEROBIC BACTERIAL BLOOD CULTURE | $356.50 | $713.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC CULTURE BLOOD | $539.25 | $719.00 | $1.00–$719.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC CULTURE BLOOD | $539.25 | $719.00 | $1.00–$719.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $91.50, median $150.05, highest $539.25 — a 5.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $150.05 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A blood culture checks for bacteria or yeast in the blood. It is ordered for fever with signs of a serious infection, such as sepsis.
What the price covers
The price is usually for one culture set. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.