Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Kingsport, TN
In Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $15.15 to $15.15, with a median of $15.15. The lowest listed price is at Johnston Memorial Hospital and 4 other hospitals. Across Tennessee, the median is $40.20 at 88 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 23, 2026 and Mar 23, 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston Memorial Hospital lowest Abingdon, VA · (276) 258-1000 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $15.15 | $101.00 | $4.31–$101.00 | 85% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Bristol Regional Medical Center lowest Bristol, TN · (423) 844-1121 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $15.15 | $101.00 | $4.31–$101.00 | 85% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Hawkins County Memorial Hospital lowest Rogersville, TN · (423) 921-7000 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $15.15 | $101.00 | $4.31–$101.00 | 85% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Holston Valley Medical Center lowest Kingsport, TN · (423) 224-4000 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $15.15 | $101.00 | $4.31–$101.00 | 85% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Indian Path Community Hospital lowest Kingsport, TN · (423) 857-7000 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $15.15 | $101.00 | $4.31–$101.00 | 85% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $15.15, median $15.15, highest $15.15.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $15.15. 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 5 of 5 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.