Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Eureka, CA
In Eureka-Arcata, CA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $15.45 to $122.82, with a median of $21.90. The lowest listed price is at Providence St Joseph Hospital and 1 other hospital — $6.45 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $133.00 at 189 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 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 22, 2025 and Aug 14, 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 Eureka-Arcata, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence St Joseph Hospital lowest Eureka, CA · (707) 445-8121 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL LAB+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $15.45 | $30.29 | — | 49% |
| Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital lowest Fortuna, CA · (707) 445-8121 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL LAB+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $15.45 | $30.29 | — | 49% |
| Jerold Phelps Community Hospital Garberville, CA · (707) 923-3921 HC CULTURE BACTERIA EXCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL File of Aug 14, 2026 · source file | $28.34 | $35.42 | $28.34–$35.42 | 20% |
| Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital Fortuna, CA · (707) 445-8121 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL LAB+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $67.32 | $132.00 | — | 49% |
| Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka, CA · (707) 445-8121 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL CDM+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $67.32 | $132.00 | — | 49% |
| Mad River Community Hospital Arcata, CA · (707) 822-3621 CULTURE STERILIZER ATTEST File of Jul 22, 2025 · source file | $122.82 | $122.82 | $8.62–$92.12 | — |
| Mad River Community Hospital Arcata, CA · (707) 822-3621 CULTURE STERILIZER ATTEST (TEST ITEM) File of Jul 22, 2025 · source file | $154.11 | $154.11 | $8.62–$115.58 | — |
| Mad River Community Hospital Arcata, CA · (707) 822-3621 CULTURE BRONCHIAL W+2 more lines at this price File of Jul 22, 2025 · source file | $197.45 | $197.45 | $8.62–$148.09 | — |
| Mad River Community Hospital Arcata, CA · (707) 822-3621 CULTURE SPUTUM (TEST ITEM) File of Jul 22, 2025 · source file | $214.74 | $214.74 | $8.62–$161.06 | — |
| Mad River Community Hospital Arcata, CA · (707) 822-3621 CULTURE ENVIRONMENT+3 more lines at this price File of Jul 22, 2025 · source file | $246.81 | $246.81 | $8.62–$185.11 | — |
| Providence St Joseph Hospital Eureka, CA · (707) 445-8121 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $267.24 | $524.00 | — | 49% |
Outpatient: lowest $15.45, median $21.90, highest $122.82 — a 7.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $21.90. 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.