Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Champaign, IL — inpatient
In Champaign-Urbana, IL, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) as an inpatient: from $36.00 to $145.00, with a median of $90.50. The lowest listed price is at The Carle Foundation Hospital — $54.50 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $91.00 at 106 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 27, 2026 and Apr 15, 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 Champaign-Urbana, IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Carle Foundation Hospital lowest Urbana, IL · (217) 383-3311 Arup Nocardia Culture and Gram Stain, Ref File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $36.00 | $36.00 | $3.60–$30.60 | — |
| Gibson Community Hospital Gibson City, IL · (217) 784-4251 CULTURE CSF File of Jan 27, 2026 · source file | $145.00 | $145.00 | $99.33–$137.75 | — |
| Gibson Community Hospital Gibson City, IL · (217) 784-4251 CULTURE SPUTUM File of Jan 27, 2026 · source file | $209.00 | $209.00 | $143.17–$198.55 | — |
| Gibson Community Hospital Gibson City, IL · (217) 784-4251 .CULTURE AEROBIC (TISSUE) File of Jan 27, 2026 · source file | $224.00 | $224.00 | $153.44–$212.80 | — |
| Gibson Community Hospital Gibson City, IL · (217) 784-4251 CULTURE AEROBIC(FLUID) File of Jan 27, 2026 · source file | $249.00 | $249.00 | $170.57–$236.55 | — |
| Gibson Community Hospital Gibson City, IL · (217) 784-4251 CULTURE GENITAL File of Jan 27, 2026 · source file | $253.00 | $253.00 | $173.31–$240.35 | — |
| Gibson Community Hospital Gibson City, IL · (217) 784-4251 CLOTEST File of Jan 27, 2026 · source file | $255.00 | $255.00 | $174.68–$242.25 | — |
| The Carle Foundation Hospital Urbana, IL · (217) 383-3311 Environmental Cult/Bact File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $305.00 | $305.00 | $7.41–$259.25 | — |
| The Carle Foundation Hospital Urbana, IL · (217) 383-3311 Bact Cult Isol/Presmptv ID Oth File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $341.00 | $341.00 | $7.41–$289.85 | — |
| The Carle Foundation Hospital Urbana, IL · (217) 383-3311 Upper Respiratory Culture File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $347.00 | $347.00 | $7.41–$294.95 | — |
Inpatient: lowest $36.00, median $90.50, highest $145.00 — a 4.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $90.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 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.