Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Ames, IA
In Ames, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $16.80 to $21.60, with a median of $19.20. The lowest listed price is at Story County Hospital — $2.40 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $60.23 at 78 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jul 27, 2026 and Jul 27, 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 Ames, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story County Hospital lowest Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULTURE W/O SMEAR M/P/E/O/S1/L1/PL/J/G1 | $16.80 | $21.00 | $12.00–$14.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULTURE NASAL L/M/R/W/S1/L1/PL/O/J/P/E/G1 | $17.60 | $22.00 | $13.00–$15.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 BODY FLUID CULTURE BY AUTOMATION E/J/L/M/W/L1/O/PL/C1/P/G1 | $21.60 | $27.00 | $16.00–$18.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Boone County Hospital Boone, IA · (515) 432-3140 Bacterial culture, any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic | $21.60 | $27.00 | $2.33–$112.85 | 20% | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT EAR L/M/R/W/E/O/J/S1/L1/PL/C1/P/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT ENVIRONMENT L/M/W/O/L1/PL/J/C1/P/E/G1/M2 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT EYE L/M/P/R/W/E/O/J/S1/L1/PL/C1/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT FLUID WITH GRAM E/J/L/M/O/P/R/W/S1/L1/PL/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT RESPIR & GRAM L/M/P/R/W/E/O/J/S1/L1/PL/C1/G1/M2 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT SONICATION & GRAM ILH/IMC/WDM/L1/PL/O/J/C1/P/E/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 STERILITY CULTURE /O/PL/J/C1/P/E/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT TISSUE & GRAM E/J/L/M/O/P/R/W/C1/S1/L1/PL/G1/M2 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CHG CULTURE SPEC, BACTERIA, NOT URINE,STOOL,BLOOD | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT RESP C.FIBROSIS L/M/P/W/C1/PL/O/J/E/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT CSF AND GRAM E/J/L/M/O/P/R/W/L1/PL/C1/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT CATH TIP L/M/R/W/O/C1/L1/E/PL/J/P/G1 | $22.40 | $28.00 | $17.00–$19.00 | 20% | — source file |
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 CULT WOUND & GRAM STAIN L/M/O/P/R/W/E/J/S1/L1/PL/G1 | $32.00 | $40.00 | $24.00–$27.00 | 20% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $16.80, median $19.20, highest $21.60 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $16.80. 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 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 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.