Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Ann Arbor, MI
In Ann Arbor, MI, 3 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $51.60 to $65.65, with a median of $55.40. The lowest listed price is at University of Michigan Health — $3.80 less than the median here. Across Michigan, the median is $53.00 at 87 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 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 Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 Ann Arbor, MI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan Health lowest Ann Arbor, MI · (734) 764-1505 HC-Lab-Culture Respiratory source file | $51.60 | $129.00 | $4.62–$137.11 | 60% |
| Forest Health Medical Center Ypsilanti, MI · (734) 547-4700 BACTERIAL CLT IV TIP+8 more lines at this price source file | $55.40 | $55.40 | $8.62–$38.78 | — |
| University of Michigan Health Ann Arbor, MI · (734) 764-1505 HC-Lab-Culture Sterile source file | $56.00 | $140.00 | $4.62–$148.80 | 60% |
| University of Michigan Health Ann Arbor, MI · (734) 764-1505 HC-Lab-Culture CSF+1 more line at this price source file | $58.80 | $147.00 | $4.62–$156.24 | 60% |
| St Joseph Mercy Chelsea Chelsea, MI · (734) 475-3911 HC Culture Bacterial Other Source+11 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $65.65 | $101.00 | $4.71–$101.00 | 35% |
| St Joseph Mercy Chelsea Chelsea, MI · (734) 475-3911 HC Culture Wound File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $73.45 | $113.00 | $4.71–$113.00 | 35% |
| University of Michigan Health Ann Arbor, MI · (734) 764-1505 HC-Lab-Culture H Pylori source file | $96.40 | $241.00 | $4.62–$256.15 | 60% |
Outpatient: lowest $51.60, median $55.40, highest $65.65 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $55.40. 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.