Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Little Rock, AR
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 10 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $9.73 to $110.40, with a median of $29.98. The lowest listed price is at Arkansas Childrens Hospital — $20.25 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $38.48 at 49 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 5 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Aug 13, 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital lowest Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC File of Aug 13, 2026 · source file | $9.73 | $10.81 | $8.62–$10.81 | 10% |
| Conway Regional Medical Center Conway, AR · (501) 329-3831 CULTURE OTHR SPECIMAN AEROBIC File of Jul 2, 2026 · source file | $9.90 | $45.00 | $8.62–$45.00 | 78% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - Little Rock Little Rock, AR · (501) 202-2000 87070 - CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD-STOOL AEROBIC ISOL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $11.75 | $47.00 | $8.62–$18.82 | 75% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock North Little Rock, AR · (501) 202-3000 87070 - CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD-STOOL AEROBIC ISOL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $20.54 | $82.16 | $8.62–$18.82 | 75% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - Conway Conway, AR · (501) 585-2000 87070 - CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD-STOOL AEROBIC ISOL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $20.54 | $82.16 | $8.62–$18.82 | 75% |
| St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center Sherwood, AR · (501) 552-7100 CULTURE PREDOMINATING ORGANISM File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $39.41 | $155.00 | $6.50–$85.25 | 75% |
| CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Little Rock, AR · (501) 552-3000 CULTURE PREDOMINATING ORGANISM File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $39.78 | $155.00 | $6.50–$85.25 | 74% |
| Conway Regional Medical Center Conway, AR · (501) 329-3831 CULTURE THROAT+4 more lines at this price File of Jul 2, 2026 · source file | $54.95 | $249.77 | $8.62–$249.77 | 78% |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 219-7000 MRSA Nares PCR+12 more lines at this price File of Nov 21, 2025 · source file | $78.60 | $98.25 | $39.29–$159.00 | 20% |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital-Encore Bryant, AR · (501) 213-4500 Bone Culture with Gram Stain+12 more lines at this price File of Nov 21, 2025 · source file | $78.60 | $98.25 | $39.29–$159.00 | 20% |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 BACTERIAL CULTURE; ANY OTHER SOURCE EXCEPT URINE; BLOOD OR STOOL; AEROBIC File of Jun 17, 2026 · source file | $110.40 | $184.00 | $8.36–$887.00 | 40% |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 BACTERIAL CULTURE; ANY OTHER SOURCE EXCEPT URINE; BLOOD OR STOOL; AEROBIC File of Aug 13, 2026 · source file | $152.73 | $169.70 | $8.62–$72.69 | 10% |
Outpatient: lowest $9.73, median $29.98, highest $110.40 — a 11.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $39.41. 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 8 of 10 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.