Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Akron, OH
In Akron, OH, 6 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $10.09 to $246.95, with a median of $92.63. The lowest listed price is at Summa Health System — $82.54 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $68.50 at 131 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 4 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 11, 2025 and Jul 14, 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 Akron, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summa Health System lowest Akron, OH · (330) 375-3000 Hc Bacterial Culture-Othr Source File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $10.09 | $10.09 | — | — |
| Akron General Medical Center Akron, OH · (330) 344-6000 *BACTERIAL CULTURE-OTHR SOURCE+3 more lines at this price File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $38.35 | $59.00 | $0.95–$35.32 | 35% |
| Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Fairlawn, OH · (330) 670-4152 Bacterial culture, any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic File of Jun 19, 2026 · source file | $59.25 | $79.00 | $8.62–$187.27 | 25% |
| University Hospitals Portage Medical Center Ravenna, OH · (330) 297-2300 HC AEROBIC CULTURE - SYNOVASURE COMP PJI PANEL - CD LABS - 1 OF 4 File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $126.00 | $168.00 | $8.62–$151.20 | 25% |
| University Hospitals Portage Medical Center Ravenna, OH · (330) 297-2300 HC AEROBIC CULTURE, OTHER SOURCE File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $130.50 | $174.00 | $8.62–$156.60 | 25% |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH · (330) 543-8290 HBI CULTURE, ROUTINE (AEROBIC)+6 more lines at this price File of Nov 11, 2025 · source file | $169.50 | $226.00 | $76.84–$223.51 | 25% |
| Summa Health System Akron, OH · (330) 375-3000 Noncdm Charge Record File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $203.00 | $203.00 | — | — |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH · (330) 543-8290 HB LAB/WOUND CULTURE+10 more lines at this price File of Nov 11, 2025 · source file | $214.50 | $286.00 | $97.24–$282.85 | 25% |
| Western Reserve Cuyahoga Falls, OH · (330) 971-7000 CULTURE B.FLUID (MIC IF INDICATED+12 more lines at this price source file | $246.95 | $449.00 | $8.62–$152.66 | 45% |
| Western Reserve Cuyahoga Falls, OH · (330) 971-7000 CULTURE WOUND, AEROBIC source file | $277.75 | $505.00 | $8.62–$171.70 | 45% |
Outpatient: lowest $10.09, median $92.63, highest $246.95 — a 24.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $82.18. 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 3 of 5 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 bacterial culture grows bacteria from a sample such as a wound, throat swab, eye or fluid to find which germ causes an infection. It takes one to three days.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test; collecting the sample may be billed separately.