Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Appleton, WI
In Appleton, WI, 4 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $10.26 to $43.79, with a median of $38.14. The lowest listed price is at Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus — $27.88 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $77.35 at 97 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 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Appleton, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus lowest Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC CULTURE, WOUND AEROBIC WITH GRAM STAIN+1 more line at this price source file | $10.26 | $18.00 | $9.05–$16.53 | 43% |
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC CULTURE, NASAL+3 more lines at this price source file | $22.23 | $39.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
| Ascension Calumet Hospital Chilton, WI · (920) 849-2386 HC CULTURE, EYE+4 more lines at this price source file | $32.49 | $57.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Appleton, WI · (920) 731-4101 CULTURE, BACTERIA, AEROBIC+1 more line at this price source file | $43.79 | $78.20 | — | 44% |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-OSP Appleton, WI CULTURE, BACTERIA, AEROBIC+1 more line at this price source file | $43.79 | $78.20 | — | 44% |
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC CULTURE OTHER SPECIMEN AEROBIC+1 more line at this price source file | $43.89 | $77.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC CULTURE, GENITAL source file | $44.46 | $78.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC CULTURE, SPUTUM source file | $47.88 | $84.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
| Ascension Calumet Hospital Chilton, WI · (920) 849-2386 HC CULTURE OTHER SPECIMEN AEROBIC RECTAL SCRN+1 more line at this price source file | $64.41 | $113.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
| Ascension Calumet Hospital Chilton, WI · (920) 849-2386 HC CULTURE, GENITAL source file | $65.55 | $115.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
| Ascension Calumet Hospital Chilton, WI · (920) 849-2386 HC CULTURE, SPUTUM source file | $70.68 | $124.00 | $9.05–$19.37 | 43% |
Outpatient: lowest $10.26, median $38.14, highest $43.79 — a 4.3× difference within the same market.
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.