Lab tests CPT 87040 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Blood culture cost in Eau Claire, WI — inpatient

In Eau Claire, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria as an inpatient: from $87.10 to $124.45, with a median of $105.78. The lowest listed price is at Aspirus Stanley Hospital — $18.68 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $80.00 at 80 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87040, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 20, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$87.10Aspirus Stanley Hospital
Median$105.78half pay less
Highest$124.45in this market
Difference1.4×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Eau Claire, WI.

median
Lowest $87.10Highest $124.45

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Aspirus Stanley Hospital lowest Stanley, WI · (715) 644-5571 CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES $87.10 $134.00 — 35% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Aspirus Stanley Hospital lowest Stanley, WI · (715) 644-5571 Fac Blood Culture for Bacteria $87.10 $134.00 — 35% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Marshfield Medical Center - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI · (715) 858-8100 CULTURE BLOOD AEROBIC-TECH $124.45 $131.00 $72.05–$127.07 5% Feb 20, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $87.10, median $105.78, highest $124.45 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $105.78 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.