Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 15 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $16.15 to $98.43, with a median of $43.20. The lowest listed price is at Bethesda North and 1 other hospital — $27.05 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $68.50 at 131 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 9 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethesda North lowest Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Culture Bacterial Except Urine File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $16.15 | $21.53 | — | 25% |
| McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital lowest Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC Culture Bacterial Except Urine File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $16.15 | $21.53 | — | 25% |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB CULTURE, EYE+9 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $25.86 | $25.86 | — | — |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Culture Bacteria Aerobic, Aerobe, Lc File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $26.00 | $65.00 | — | 60% |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC Culture Bacterial Except Urine File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $29.43 | $39.24 | — | 25% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC So Body Fluid Culture source file | $43.20 | $72.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC So Body Fluid Culture source file | $43.20 | $72.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC So Body Fluid Culture source file | $43.20 | $72.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC So Body Fluid Culture source file | $43.20 | $72.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC So Body Fluid Culture source file | $43.20 | $72.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC So Body Fluid Culture source file | $43.20 | $72.00 | — | 40% |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC CULTURE BACTERIAL AEROBIC File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $62.00 | $62.00 | — | — |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Culture Wound+10 more lines at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $82.80 | $138.00 | — | 40% |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Culture Genital+10 more lines at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $82.80 | $138.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Culture, Aerobic source file | $91.20 | $152.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Culture, Aerobic source file | $91.20 | $152.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Culture, Aerobic source file | $91.20 | $152.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Culture, Aerobic source file | $91.20 | $152.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Culture, Aerobic source file | $91.20 | $152.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Culture, Aerobic source file | $91.20 | $152.00 | — | 40% |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Culture, Ear+9 more lines at this price source file | $98.43 | $193.00 | $8.62–$193.00 | 49% |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Cult Bacterial Other Source+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $118.80 | $297.00 | — | 60% |
Outpatient: lowest $16.15, median $43.20, highest $98.43 — a 6.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $61.80. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.