Blood culture cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 12 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $37.05 to $414.77, with a median of $167.70. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital St Louis — $130.65 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $110.50 at 27 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 10 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 Apr 24, 2026 and Apr 24, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital St Louis lowest Saint Louis, MO Culture Blood Bacterial | $37.05 | $57.00 | $3.71–$57.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 Blood Culture | $62.04 | $77.55 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $81.10 | $81.10 | $5.94–$17.74 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Culture Blood Bacterial | $125.45 | $193.00 | $12.55–$193.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Culture Blood Bacterial | $125.45 | $193.00 | $12.55–$173.70 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Culture Blood Bacterial | $163.80 | $252.00 | $10.32–$14.62 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Culture Blood Bacterial | $171.60 | $264.00 | $9.29–$23.22 | 35% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $241.20 | $335.00 | $17.24–$335.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $241.20 | $335.00 | $7.41–$335.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC BACTERIA BLOOD CULTURE T1 | $252.00 | $350.00 | $7.78–$350.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $299.52 | $416.00 | $7.41–$416.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 CULTURE BLOOD BACTER | $414.77 | $691.29 | $691.29 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $37.05, median $167.70, highest $414.77 — a 11.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $241.20. 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 8 of 11 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 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.