Blood culture cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 16 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $18.58 to $1,425.64, with a median of $464.36. The lowest listed price is at Ascentist Hospital — $445.78 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $111.24 at 63 hospitals.
- The median here, $464.36, is 302% above the US median of $115.50.
- That is 45.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($10.32).
- Kansas City, MO ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Missouri by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 16 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 12 cities for code 87040, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 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 Kansas City, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascentist Hospital lowest Leawood, KS · (913) 529-1801 BLOOD CULTURE File of Apr 26, 2026 · source file | $18.58 | $60.00 | $17.13–$22.19 | 69% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 CULTURE/BACT BLOOD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $60.00 | $125.00 | $9.92–$112.50 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 CULTURE/BACT BLOOD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $60.00 | $125.00 | $9.29–$112.50 | 52% |
| Liberty Hospital Liberty, MO · (816) 781-7200 BLOOD CULTURE File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $78.00 | $283.00 | $78.96–$230.93 | 72% |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $79.17 | $273.00 | $9.57–$223.31 | 71% |
| Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO · (816) 380-5888 87040 BLOOD CULT FOR BACTER File of Apr 7, 2026 · source file | $237.30 | $339.00 | $10.32–$328.49 | 30% |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 BLOOD CULTURE File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $259.70 | $370.99 | $10.32–$315.34 | 30% |
| Lee's Summit Medical Center Lee's Summit, MO · (816) 282-5000 CULTURE BLOOD File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $459.03 | $459.03 | $59.67–$390.18 | — |
| Lafayette Regional Health Center Lexington, MO · (660) 259-2203 CULTURE BLOOD File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $469.68 | $469.68 | $87.36–$469.68 | — |
| Overland Park Regional Medical Center Olathe, KS · (913) 541-5000 CULTURE BLOOD File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $573.16 | $573.16 | $74.51–$429.87 | — |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC CULTURE BLOOD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $652.72 | $652.72 | — | — |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC CULTURE BLOOD File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $652.72 | $652.72 | — | — |
| Belton Regional Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 348-1200 CULTURE BLOOD File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $696.30 | $696.30 | $90.52–$626.67 | — |
| Research Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 276-4000 CULTURE BLOOD File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $879.94 | $879.94 | $114.39–$879.94 | — |
| Menorah Medical Center Overland Park, KS · (913) 498-6000 CULTURE BLOOD File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $974.27 | $974.27 | $126.66–$779.42 | — |
| Centerpoint Medical Center Independence, MO · (816) 698-7000 CULTURE BLOOD File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,425.64 | $1,425.64 | $185.33–$1,283.08 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $18.58, median $464.36, highest $1,425.64 — a 76.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $79.17. 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 7 of 14 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 blood culture is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Blood culture explained.
3 rows held back from this comparison
They are 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Providence Medical Center Kansas City, KSHc Blood Culture For Bacteria | $10.00 | file |
| St Joseph Medical Center Kansas City, MOHc Blood Culture For Bacteria | $10.00 | file |
| Saint John Hospital Leavenworth, KSHc Blood Culture For Bacteria | $10.00 | file |