Blood culture cost in Minneapolis, MN
In Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 23 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $18.20 to $153.55, with a median of $70.46. The lowest listed price is at Mille Lacs Health System — $52.26 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $116.44 at 82 hospitals.
- The median here, $70.46, is 39% below the US median of $115.50.
- That is 6.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($10.32).
- Minneapolis, MN has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Minnesota with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 1 of 23 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 23 facilities across 19 cities for code 87040, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 29, 2026 and Sep 25, 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs Health System lowest Onamia, MN · (320) 532-3154 NIS CULTURE BLOOD File of Aug 13, 2026 · source file | $18.20 | $26.00 | $5.20–$26.00 | 30% |
| Methodist Hospital St. Louis Park, MN · (952) 993-5000 Microbiology File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $20.28 | $78.00 | $9.62–$58.50 | 74% |
| Maple Grove Hospital Maple Grove, MN · (763) 581-1000 Bacterial blood culture+1 more line at this price File of Sep 25, 2026 · source file | $37.42 | $71.00 | $7.66–$56.80 | 47% |
| North Memorial Health Care Robbinsdale, MN · (763) 520-5200 Bacterial blood culture+1 more line at this price File of Sep 25, 2026 · source file | $37.42 | $71.00 | $7.66–$56.80 | 47% |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES+1 more line at this price File of May 7, 2026 · source file | $45.00 | $45.00 | $9.46–$45.00 | — |
| Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge, MN · (763) 689-7700 HCHG BLOOD CULTURE-BACTEC File of Jun 16, 2026 · source file | $61.66 | $110.10 | $9.60–$110.10 | 44% |
| Buffalo Hospital Buffalo, MN · (763) 682-1212 HCHG BLOOD CULTURE-BACTEC File of Jun 16, 2026 · source file | $61.66 | $110.10 | $9.60–$110.10 | 44% |
| River Falls Area Hospital River Falls, WI · (715) 307-6000 HCHG BLOOD CULTURE-BACTEC File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $61.66 | $110.10 | $9.60–$131.15 | 44% |
| Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis, MN · (612) 863-4000 HCHG BLOOD CULTURE-BACTEC File of Jun 16, 2026 · source file | $67.49 | $140.60 | $9.60–$118.10 | 52% |
| Mercy Hospital Coon Rapids, MN · (762) 236-6000 HCHG BLOOD CULTURE-BACTEC File of Jun 17, 2026 · source file | $67.49 | $140.60 | $9.60–$118.10 | 52% |
| Allina United Hospital St. Paul, MN · (651) 241-8000 HCHG BLOOD CULTURE-BACTEC File of Jun 16, 2026 · source file | $67.49 | $140.60 | $9.60–$140.60 | 52% |
| Regions Hospital St. Paul, MN · (651) 254-1616 Microbiology File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $70.46 | $271.00 | $10.09–$21.86 | 74% |
| Fairview Northland Regional Hospital Princeton, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jan 29, 2026 · source file | $74.53 | $185.85 | $10.15–$167.26 | 60% |
| M Health Fairview St. John's Hospital Maplewood, MN · (651) 232-7000 HC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Feb 5, 2026 · source file | $75.27 | $187.69 | $10.15–$168.92 | 60% |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN · (612) 624-1765 HC CULTURE, BLOOD+1 more line at this price File of Feb 6, 2026 · source file | $75.27 | $187.69 | $10.15–$168.92 | 60% |
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MN · (952) 924-5000 HC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Feb 6, 2026 · source file | $75.27 | $187.69 | $10.15–$168.92 | 60% |
| M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury, MN · (651) 232-2185 HC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Feb 5, 2026 · source file | $75.27 | $187.69 | $10.15–$168.92 | 60% |
| Fairview Lakes Health Services Wyoming, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Feb 5, 2026 · source file | $75.40 | $188.03 | $10.15–$169.23 | 60% |
| Fairview Bethesda Hospital St. Paul, MN HC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Jan 29, 2026 · source file | $75.51 | $188.30 | $10.15–$169.47 | 60% |
| M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital Burnsville, MN · (952) 892-2000 HC CULTURE, BLOOD File of Feb 6, 2026 · source file | $79.90 | $188.00 | $10.15–$169.20 | 58% |
| Westfields Hospital New Richmond, WI · (715) 246-2101 Microbiology File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $82.58 | $157.00 | $31.46–$157.00 | 47% |
| Hudson Hospital Hudson, WI · (715) 531-6000 Microbiology File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $114.13 | $253.00 | $8.77–$253.00 | 55% |
| Lakeview Hospital Stillwater, MN · (651) 430-4509 Microbiology File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $153.55 | $415.00 | $0.32–$373.50 | 63% |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 BLOOD CULTURE+1 more line at this price File of May 7, 2026 · source file | $306.00 | $306.00 | $9.46–$306.00 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $18.20, median $70.46, highest $153.55 — a 8.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 23 facilities here, median $70.46. 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 21 of 23 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.