Blood culture cost in Cleveland, OH
In Cleveland, OH, 24 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $46.15 to $189.00, with a median of $108.90. The lowest listed price is at Euclid Hospital and 9 other hospitals — $62.75 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $93.60 at 132 hospitals.
- The median here, $108.90, is 6% below the US median of $115.50.
- That is 10.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($10.32).
- Cleveland, OH ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in Ohio by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 24 facilities across 19 cities for code 87040, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 14, 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 Cleveland, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euclid Hospital lowest Euclid, OH · (216) 531-9000 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $20.08–$71.00 | 35% |
| Lodi Community Hospital lowest Lodi, OH · (330) 948-1222 CULTURE FOR BLOOD+1 more line at this price File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $20.08–$71.00 | 35% |
| Marymount Hospital lowest Garfield Heights, OH · (216) 587-8210 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $0.95–$33.50 | 35% |
| Hillcrest Hospital lowest Mayfield Heights, OH · (440) 312-4500 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $0.95–$31.36 | 35% |
| Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital lowest Avon, OH · (440) 695-5000 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $0.95–$33.50 | 35% |
| The Cleveland Clinic Foundation lowest Cleveland, OH · (216) 952-9829 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 16, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $5.10–$31.80 | 35% |
| Medina Hospital lowest Medina, OH · (330) 725-1000 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $10.32–$23.71 | 35% |
| South Pointe Hospital lowest Warrensville Heights, OH · (216) 491-6523 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $0.95–$33.50 | 35% |
| Lutheran Hospital lowest Cleveland, OH · (216) 696-4300 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $10.32–$15.03 | 35% |
| Fairview Hospital lowest Cleveland, OH · (216) 476-7000 CULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $46.15 | $71.00 | $0.95–$31.36 | 35% |
| Metrohealth System Cleveland, OH · (216) 778-7089 Hc Culture Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $63.35 | $181.00 | — | 65% |
| Mercy Health Allen Hospital Oberlin, OH · (440) 334-7039 HC Culture Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.80 | $173.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Regional Medical Center Lorain, OH · (440) 960-4000 HC Culture Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $114.00 | $190.00 | — | 40% |
| University Hospitals - Elyria Medical Center Elyria, OH · (440) 329-7500 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $150.75 | $201.00 | $10.32–$180.90 | 25% |
| University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Beachwood, OH · (216) 593-5511 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $150.75 | $201.00 | $4.88–$180.90 | 25% |
| Parma Community General Hospital Parma, OH · (440) 743-3000 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $150.75 | $201.00 | $4.88–$180.90 | 25% |
| University Hospitals Beachwood Medical Center Beachwood, OH · (216) 545-4800 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $150.75 | $201.00 | $4.87–$180.90 | 25% |
| UH St John Medical Center Westlake, OH · (440) 835-8000 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $150.75 | $201.00 | $4.88–$180.90 | 25% |
| Lake West Hospital Willoughby, OH · (440) 953-9600 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $150.75 | $201.00 | $5.88–$180.90 | 25% |
| UH Regional Hospitals Chardon, OH · (440) 285-6246 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $150.75 | $201.00 | $4.88–$180.90 | 25% |
| UH Cleveland Medical Center Cleveland, OH · (216) 844-1000 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD+1 more line at this price File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $161.25 | $215.00 | $4.88–$193.50 | 25% |
| Southwest General Health Center Middleburg Heights, OH · (440) 816-8000 BLOOD CULTURE File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $180.75 | $241.00 | $77.12–$241.00 | 25% |
| University Hospitals Conneaut Medical Center Conneaut, OH · (440) 593-1131 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $189.00 | $252.00 | $4.88–$238.14 | 25% |
| Uhhs Memorial Hospital of Geneva Geneva, OH · (440) 415-0151 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $189.00 | $252.00 | $4.88–$226.80 | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $46.15, median $108.90, highest $189.00 — a 4.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 23 facilities here, median $150.75. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 13 of 21 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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 blood culture is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Blood culture explained.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 87040 ($120.61). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula County Medical Center Ashtabula, OHCULTURE, BACTERIAL, BLOOD, AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC | $7.23 | file |