Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Anchorage, AK
In Anchorage, AK, 4 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $31.20 to $322.00, with a median of $137.96. The lowest listed price is at Providence Alaska Medical Center — $106.76 less than the median here. Across Alaska, the median is $144.65 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 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 Anchorage, AK.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Alaska Medical Center lowest Anchorage, AK · (907) 562-2211 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL LAB File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $31.20 | $40.00 | — | 22% |
| Providence Alaska Medical Center Anchorage, AK · (907) 562-2211 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.30 | $85.00 | — | 22% |
| Mat-Su Valley Medical Center Palmer, AK · (907) 861-6000 Transfusion Reaction Culture+4 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $99.30 | $331.00 | $8.45–$317.76 | 70% |
| Providence Alaska Medical Center Anchorage, AK · (907) 562-2211 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $174.72 | $224.00 | — | 22% |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULT ENVIRON EPIDEMI File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $176.61 | $176.61 | $52.10–$154.71 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULT NOSE+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $243.47 | $243.47 | $71.82–$213.28 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULT THROAT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $267.25 | $267.25 | $78.84–$234.11 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE SINUS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $269.51 | $269.51 | $79.51–$236.09 | — |
| Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Anchorage, AK · (907) 563-2662 Bacterial culture, any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic File of Aug 20, 2026 · source file | $322.00 | $322.00 | $27.76–$1,233.00 | — |
| Providence Alaska Medical Center Anchorage, AK · (907) 562-2211 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER - DIPTHERIA File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $327.60 | $420.00 | — | 22% |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE BILE+3 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $353.31 | $353.31 | $104.23–$309.50 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE EYE File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $361.23 | $361.23 | $106.56–$316.44 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE TRACHEA+4 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $373.67 | $373.67 | $110.23–$327.33 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE WOUND File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $409.92 | $409.92 | $120.93–$359.09 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE GENITAL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $430.33 | $430.33 | $126.95–$376.97 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE SURGICAL SPEC File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $455.55 | $455.55 | $134.39–$399.06 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE UROGENITAL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $876.46 | $876.46 | $258.56–$767.78 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE EAR File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $948.93 | $948.93 | $279.93–$831.26 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE CERVICAL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,073.49 | $1,073.49 | $316.68–$940.38 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE CSF File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,112.00 | $1,112.00 | $328.04–$974.11 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE BODY FLUID File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,225.24 | $1,225.24 | $361.45–$1,073.31 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE PLACENTA File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,247.89 | $1,247.89 | $368.13–$1,093.15 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE BONE NOT MARROW+2 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,254.69 | $1,254.69 | $370.13–$1,099.11 | — |
| Alaska Regional Hospital Anchorage, AK · (907) 276-1131 CULTURE DRAIN+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,261.45 | $1,261.45 | $372.13–$1,105.03 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $31.20, median $137.96, highest $322.00 — a 10.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $98.35. 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 2 of 3 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.