Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Baton Rouge, LA — inpatient
In Baton Rouge, LA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) as an inpatient: from $10.60 to $104.56, with a median of $45.00. The lowest listed price is at Ochsner St Mary — $34.40 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $29.24 at 56 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 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 Baton Rouge, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ochsner St Mary lowest Morgan City, LA · (985) 384-2200 HC CULTURE, ROUTINE AEROBIC+6 more lines at this price source file | $10.60 | $53.00 | — | 80% |
| Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, LA · (225) 752-2470 *HC ENVIRONMENTAL CULTURE+4 more lines at this price source file | $19.84 | $62.00 | — | 68% |
| Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, LA · (225) 752-2470 HC CULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL source file | $21.12 | $66.00 | — | 68% |
| St Helena Parish Hospital Greensburg, LA · (225) 222-6111 CULTURE WOUND+2 more lines at this price source file | $45.00 | $45.00 | $7.40–$44.55 | — |
| St Helena Parish Hospital Greensburg, LA · (225) 222-6111 CULTURE BODY FLUID source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | $7.40–$52.47 | — |
| Baton Rouge General Medical Center Baton Rouge, LA · (225) 387-7767 CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC source file | $96.95 | $138.50 | $4.31–$106.65 | 30% |
| West Feliciana Parish Hospital St Francisville, LA · (225) 635-3811 O R/.1 AEROBIC CULTURE+36 more lines at this price source file | $104.56 | $174.27 | $8.62–$176.01 | 40% |
Inpatient: lowest $10.60, median $45.00, highest $104.56 — a 9.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $61.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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.