Blood culture cost in Montgomery, AL
In Montgomery, AL, 2 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $13.80 to $103.41, with a median of $58.61. The lowest listed price is at The Health Care Authority for Baptist Health — $44.81 less than the median here. Across Alabama, the median is $103.41 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 87040, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Montgomery, AL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Health Care Authority for Baptist Health lowest Montgomery, AL CULTURE BLOOD | $13.80 | $23.00 | $10.35–$22.03 | 40% | — source file |
| Health Care Authority for Baptist Health, An Affiliate of Uabhs Montgomery, AL CULTURE BLOOD | $103.41 | $172.35 | $15.48–$15.91 | 40% | — source file |
| Health Care Authority for Baptist Health, An Affiliate of Uabhs Montgomery, AL AMB-CULTURE BLOOD | $103.41 | $172.35 | $15.48–$15.91 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $13.80, median $58.61, highest $103.41 — a 7.5× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 2 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 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.