Bacterial culture (wound) cost in New Ulm, MN
In New Ulm, MN, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $18.87 to $94.27, with a median of $56.57. The lowest listed price is at New Ulm Medical Center — $37.70 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $68.69 at 81 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 Jun 16, 2026 and Jun 16, 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 New Ulm, MN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Ulm Medical Center lowest New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG CULTURE SPUTUM/LOWER RESPIRATORY QUEST | $18.87 | $33.70 | $6.78–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG CULTURE CSF QUEST | $26.15 | $46.70 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG CULTURE THROAT QUEST | $26.49 | $47.30 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG SPUTUM CULTURE | $34.89 | $62.30 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG IV CATHETER CULTURE | $36.74 | $65.60 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG CULTURE AEROBIC BACTERIA QUEST | $37.02 | $66.10 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG CULTURE GENITAL QUEST | $37.02 | $66.10 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG VAG CERV CULTURE | $41.72 | $74.50 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG SEMEN CULTURE | $41.83 | $74.70 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG THROAT CULTURE | $43.62 | $77.90 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG BODY FLUID CULTURE | $43.74 | $78.10 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG LEGIONELLA SPECIES CULTURE LC | $45.19 | $80.70 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG TISSUE CULTURE | $47.10 | $84.10 | $8.03–$86.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG SPINAL FLUID CULTURE | $49.00 | $87.50 | $8.03–$87.50 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG HARDWARE CULTURE | $52.98 | $94.60 | $8.03–$94.60 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm, MN · (507) 217-5000 HCHG MISCELLANEOUS BACTERIAL CULT | $63.56 | $113.50 | $8.03–$113.50 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| City of Sleepy Eye Sleepy Eye, MN · (507) 794-3571 CULTURE;AEROBIC;OTHER | $94.27 | $149.00 | $8.45–$144.53 | 37% | — source file |
| City of Sleepy Eye Sleepy Eye, MN · (507) 794-3571 CULTURE, STREP | $99.33 | $157.00 | $8.45–$152.29 | 37% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $18.87, median $56.57, highest $94.27 — a 5.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $56.57. 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 2 of 2 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.