Blood culture cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $65.28 to $237.20, with a median of $86.73. The lowest listed price is at Swedish Issaquah and 2 other hospitals — $21.45 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $127.40 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 12 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 Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish Issaquah lowest Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $65.28 | $136.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $65.28 | $136.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Edmonds lowest Edmonds, WA · (425) 640-4000 HC BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $65.28 | $136.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah lowest Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES LAB | $65.28 | $136.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES LAB | $65.28 | $136.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $65.28 | $136.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES LAB | $65.28 | $136.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC CULTURE-BLOOD | $70.72 | $136.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $70.72 | $136.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 CULTURE,BACTERIAL,DEFINITIVE-BLOOD | $72.93 | $143.00 | $85.80–$114.40 | 49% | — source file |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC BLOOD CULTURE + SENSITIVITY | $81.87 | $284.02 | $10.32–$213.02 | 71% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC BLOOD CULTURE + SENSITIVITY | $86.39 | $284.02 | $10.32–$213.02 | 70% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC BLOOD CULTURE + SENSITIVITY | $86.73 | $284.02 | $10.32–$255.62 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC BLOOD CULTURE + SENSITIVITY | $89.14 | $284.02 | $10.32–$213.02 | 69% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC BLOOD CULTURE + SENSITIVITY | $94.07 | $284.02 | $10.32–$213.02 | 67% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association Enumclaw, WA HC BLOOD CULTURE + SENSITIVITY | $100.37 | $284.02 | $10.32–$255.62 | 65% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 CULTURE BACTERIA DEFINITIVE BLOOD | $160.80 | $201.00 | $8.00–$30.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC BLOOD CULTURE AND SENS | $169.60 | $212.00 | $11.15–$169.60 | 20% | — source file |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Culture Blood | $181.50 | $363.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Blood Culture | $237.20 | $237.20 | $59.77–$227.71 | — | — source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Blood Culture | $282.00 | $282.00 | $71.06–$270.72 | — | — source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Blood Culture Aer/Ana | $447.70 | $447.70 | $112.82–$429.79 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $65.28, median $86.73, highest $237.20 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $86.73. 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 10 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.