Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Grand Rapids, MI
In Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI, 8 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $22.00 to $102.00, with a median of $53.00. The lowest listed price is at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Carson — $31.00 less than the median here. Across Michigan, the median is $53.00 at 86 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 7 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Apr 22, 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Carson lowest Carson City, MI · (989) 584-3131 HB Culture Spec, Bacteria, Not Urine,Stool,Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $22.00 | $88.00 | $6.47–$71.28 | 75% |
| Mercy Health Saint Marys Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 685-5000 HC Culture Catheter Tip File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $51.35 | $79.00 | $4.71–$79.00 | 35% |
| Corewell Health Greenville Hospital Greenville, MI · (616) 754-4691 Hc Culture Csf+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 391-1774 Hc Sterility Check+5 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Blodgett Hospital East Grand Rapids, MI Hc Culture Aerobic+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Zeeland Community Hospital Zeeland, MI · (616) 772-4644 Hc Culture Tissue+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Mercy Health Saint Marys Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 685-5000 HC Culture Bone+11 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $55.90 | $86.00 | $4.71–$86.00 | 35% |
| Corewell Health Greenville Hospital Greenville, MI · (616) 754-4691 Hc Sterility Check File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 391-1774 Hc Culture Csf+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Blodgett Hospital East Grand Rapids, MI Hc Culture Csf File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Zeeland Community Hospital Zeeland, MI · (616) 772-4644 Hc Sterility Check File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — |
| Sheridan Community Hospital Sheridan, MI · (989) 291-3261 .EAR CULTURE (5102172)+9 more lines at this price File of Apr 22, 2026 · source file | $84.00 | $105.00 | $6.23–$92.72 | 20% |
| Trinity Health Grand Haven Hospital Grand Haven, MI · (616) 847-5268 CULTURE-CSF+6 more lines at this price File of Nov 21, 2025 · source file | $102.00 | $102.00 | $4.62–$102.00 | — |
| Sheridan Community Hospital Sheridan, MI · (989) 291-3261 CULTURE CSF File of Apr 22, 2026 · source file | $128.00 | $160.00 | $6.23–$141.28 | 20% |
| Mercy Health Saint Marys Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 685-5000 HC Culture Wound File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $230.10 | — | $4.71–$205.62 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $22.00, median $53.00, highest $102.00 — a 4.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $53.00. 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 3 of 4 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.