Blood culture cost in Richmond, KY
In Richmond-Berea, KY, 2 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $84.60 to $128.24, with a median of $106.42. The lowest listed price is at Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital — $21.82 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $128.24 at 15 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87040, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 18, 2026 and Sep 18, 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 Richmond-Berea, KY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital lowest Irvine, KY · (606) 723-2115 HC Culture Blood | $84.60 | $141.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Baptist Health Richmond Richmond, KY · (859) 625-3114 Bacterial blood culture | $128.24 | $170.98 | $8.77–$329.31 | 25% | Sep 18, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $84.60, median $106.42, highest $128.24 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $84.60. 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 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.