Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Janesville, WI
In Janesville-Beloit, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $104.39 to $112.36, with a median of $108.38. The lowest listed price is at Edgerton Hospital and Health Services — $3.99 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $77.35 at 98 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 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 1, 2026 and Mar 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 Janesville-Beloit, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgerton Hospital and Health Services lowest Edgerton, WI · (608) 884-3441 LCHG CULTURE SPUTUM | $104.39 | $143.00 | $15.07–$90.06 | 27% | — source file |
| Mercyhealth Hospital & Trauma Center Janesville, WI · (608) 756-6161 CHG CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $112.36 | $149.82 | — | 25% | Mar 1, 2026 source file |
| Edgerton Hospital and Health Services Edgerton, WI · (608) 884-3441 LCHG CULTURE CSF | $137.24 | $188.00 | $15.07–$90.06 | 27% | — source file |
| Edgerton Hospital and Health Services Edgerton, WI · (608) 884-3441 LCHG CULTURE RESPIRATORY | $137.24 | $188.00 | $15.07–$90.06 | 27% | — source file |
| Edgerton Hospital and Health Services Edgerton, WI · (608) 884-3441 LCHG CULTURE THROAT | $137.24 | $188.00 | $15.07–$90.06 | 27% | — source file |
| Edgerton Hospital and Health Services Edgerton, WI · (608) 884-3441 LCHG CULTURE ROUTINE | $137.24 | $188.00 | $15.07–$90.06 | 27% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $104.39, median $108.38, highest $112.36 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $108.38. 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 not 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.