Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Grand Rapids, MI — inpatient
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) as an inpatient: from $51.35 to $102.00, with a median of $53.00. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Health Saint Marys — $1.65 less than the median here. Across Michigan, the median is $53.00 at 87 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 6 cities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Health Saint Marys lowest 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 source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 391-1774 Hc Culture Tissue+5 more lines at this price source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Blodgett Hospital East Grand Rapids, MI Hc Culture Aerobic+2 more lines at this price source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Zeeland Community Hospital Zeeland, MI · (616) 772-4644 Hc Culture Aerobic+2 more lines at this price source file | $53.00 | $53.00 | — | — |
| Mercy Health Saint Marys Grand Rapids, MI · (616) 685-5000 HC Culture Ear+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 source file | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Blodgett Hospital East Grand Rapids, MI Hc Culture Csf source file | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — |
| Corewell Health Zeeland Community Hospital Zeeland, MI · (616) 772-4644 Hc Sterility Check 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 source file | $58.00 | $58.00 | — | — |
| Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Grand Rapids, MI HCHG HC CULTURE TISSUE+9 more lines at this price source file | $82.00 | $82.00 | $51.78–$78.47 | — |
| Sheridan Community Hospital Sheridan, MI · (989) 291-3261 CATHETER TIP CULTURE+9 more lines at this price source file | $84.00 | $105.00 | $6.23–$92.72 | 20% |
| Trinity Health Grand Haven Hospital Grand Haven, MI · (616) 847-5268 CULTURE-GENITAL+6 more lines at this price source file | $102.00 | $102.00 | $4.62–$102.00 | — |
| Sheridan Community Hospital Sheridan, MI · (989) 291-3261 CULTURE CSF source file | $128.00 | $160.00 | $6.23–$141.28 | 20% |
Inpatient: lowest $51.35, median $53.00, highest $102.00 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $53.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 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.