Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Charleston, WV
In Charleston, WV, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $14.00 to $56.50, with a median of $35.25. The lowest listed price is at Boone Memorial Hospital — $21.25 less than the median here. Across West Virginia, the median is $50.50 at 34 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 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 Jul 10, 2026 and Jul 10, 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 Charleston, WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Memorial Hospital lowest Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE GROUP B STREP GENITAL RL | $14.00 | $28.00 | $7.68–$26.60 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE GENITAL RL | $19.00 | $38.00 | $8.45–$36.10 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE INFECTION CONTROL | $23.80 | $34.00 | $8.45–$32.30 | 30% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE INFECTION CONT-MRSA NOT NASAL | $26.60 | $38.00 | $8.45–$36.10 | 30% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE CSF FLUID RL | $40.00 | $80.00 | $8.45–$76.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE BODY FLUID RL | $40.00 | $80.00 | $8.45–$76.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE GENERAL RL | $44.00 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE SPUTUM/RESPIR RL | $44.00 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE AEROBIC-CHARGE ONLY RL | $44.00 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE WOUND AEROBIC RL | $44.00 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE EYE RL | $44.00 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE EAR RL | $44.00 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 50% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 RULE OUT MRSA-NASAL ONLY RL | $55.00 | $110.00 | $8.45–$104.50 | 50% | — source file |
| Thomas Memorial Hospital South Charleston, WV · (304) 766-3600 BACTERIAL CULTURE; ANY OTHER SOURCE EXCEPT URINE; BLOOD OR STOOL; AEROBIC | $56.50 | $113.00 | $8.15–$43.62 | 50% | Jul 10, 2026 source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE ENVIRONMENTAL | $61.60 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 30% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE CATHETER TIP | $61.60 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 30% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 ..TEST CULTURE AFB ISOLATION | $61.60 | $88.00 | $8.45–$83.60 | 30% | — source file |
| Boone Memorial Hospital Madison, WV · (304) 369-1230 CULTURE LEGIONELLA RL | $77.00 | $110.00 | $8.45–$104.50 | 30% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $14.00, median $35.25, highest $56.50 — a 4.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $14.00. 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 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.