Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Key West, FL
In Key West-Key Largo, FL, 3 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $110.57 to $256.75, with a median of $256.75. The lowest listed price is at Lower Keys Medical Center — $146.18 less than the median here. Across Florida, the median is $86.20 at 157 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 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 Mar 30, 2026 and Apr 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 Key West-Key Largo, FL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Keys Medical Center lowest Key West, FL · (305) 294-5531 CULTURE BACTERIA OTH File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $110.57 | $409.50 | $6.50–$409.50 | 73% |
| Fishermens Health Marathon, FL · (305) 434-1000 Culture cath tip File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $256.75 | $395.00 | $5.00–$395.00 | 35% |
| Mariners Hospital Tavernier, FL · (305) 434-3000 Culture cath tip File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $256.75 | $395.00 | $5.00–$395.00 | 35% |
| Mariners Hospital Tavernier, FL · (305) 434-3000 Culture routine aerobic(c) File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $558.35 | $859.00 | $5.00–$859.00 | 35% |
| Fishermens Health Marathon, FL · (305) 434-1000 Culture routine aerobic(c) File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $558.35 | $859.00 | $5.00–$859.00 | 35% |
| Fishermens Health Marathon, FL · (305) 434-1000 Culture othr specimn aerobic File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $573.30 | $882.00 | $5.00–$882.00 | 35% |
| Mariners Hospital Tavernier, FL · (305) 434-3000 Culture othr specimn aerobic File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $573.30 | $882.00 | $5.00–$882.00 | 35% |
Outpatient: lowest $110.57, median $256.75, highest $256.75 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $256.75. 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 3 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.