Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Blacksburg, VA
In Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $68.95 to $281.00, with a median of $168.00. The lowest listed price is at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center — $99.05 less than the median here. Across Virginia, the median is $68.95 at 64 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carilion New River Valley Medical Center lowest Christiansburg, VA · (540) 731-2000 HB CULTURE BACTERIA AEROBIC | $68.95 | $197.00 | $8.78–$187.15 | 65% | — source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULT THROAT | $168.00 | $168.00 | $29.23–$151.20 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE WOUND | $281.00 | $281.00 | $53.39–$252.90 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULT ENVIRON EPIDEMI | $300.00 | $300.00 | $52.20–$270.00 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE RESPIRATORY | $300.00 | $300.00 | $52.20–$270.00 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE SURGICAL SPEC | $300.00 | $300.00 | $52.20–$270.00 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULT ENVIRON EPIDEMI | $326.00 | $326.00 | $61.94–$293.40 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE RESPIRATORY | $326.00 | $326.00 | $61.94–$293.40 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE SURGICAL SPEC | $326.00 | $326.00 | $61.94–$293.40 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE CATHETER TIP | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE GENITAL | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE EYE | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE EAR | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE BODY FLUID | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE CSF | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE WOUND | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg, VA · (540) 951-1111 CULTURE SPUTUM | $343.00 | $343.00 | $59.68–$308.70 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULT THROAT | $382.00 | $382.00 | $72.58–$343.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE EYE | $382.00 | $382.00 | $72.58–$343.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE SPUTUM | $382.00 | $382.00 | $72.58–$343.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE EAR | $382.00 | $382.00 | $72.58–$343.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE BODY FLUID | $382.00 | $382.00 | $72.58–$343.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE CATHETER TIP | $382.00 | $382.00 | $72.58–$343.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE GENITAL | $382.00 | $382.00 | $72.58–$343.80 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski Pulaski, VA · (540) 994-8100 CULTURE CSF | $390.00 | $390.00 | $74.10–$351.00 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $68.95, median $168.00, highest $281.00 — a 4.1× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 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.