Bacterial culture (wound) cost in New York, NY — inpatient
In New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, 31 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) as an inpatient: from $9.91 to $493.00, with a median of $18.96. The lowest listed price is at Chilton Medical Center and 6 other hospitals — $9.05 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $37.80 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 31 facilities across 21 cities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 28, 2025 and Aug 13, 2026.
Lowest$9.91Chilton Medical Center + 6 more
Median$18.96half of hospitals charge less
Highest$493.00in this market
Difference49.7×highest vs lowest
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 York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.
median
Lowest $9.91Highest $780.00
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilton Medical Center lowest Pompton Plains, NJ · (973) 831-5000 Culture Bact Aerobic Other+4 more lines at this price source file | $9.91 | $273.00 | — | 96% |
| CentraState Medical Center lowest Freehold Township, NJ · (732) 294-7012 Culture Bact Aerobic Other+4 more lines at this price source file | $9.91 | $252.00 | — | 96% |
| Overlook Medical Center lowest Summit, NJ · (908) 522-2000 Culture Bact Aerobic Respiratory+4 more lines at this price source file | $9.91 | $245.00 | — | 96% |
| University Hospital lowest Newark, NJ · (973) 972-4300 CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL File of Aug 13, 2026 · source file | $9.91 | $451.53 | $6.90–$428.95 | 98% |
| Morristown Medical Center lowest Morristown, NJ · (973) 971-5450 Culture Bact Aerobic Body Fld+4 more lines at this price source file | $9.91 | $232.00 | — | 96% |
| Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center lowest Montclair, NJ · (973) 429-6000 Bacterial culture, any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic source file | $9.91 | $172.00 | $8.62–$172.00 | 94% |
| Newton Medical Center lowest Newton, NJ · (973) 383-2121 Culture Bact Aerobic Body Fld+4 more lines at this price source file | $9.91 | $494.00 | — | 98% |
| Englewood Health Englewood, NJ · (201) 894-3000 Sputum Cult (Inc Gram)87070 File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $10.30 | $103.00 | $8.05–$82.40 | 90% |
| NYU Langone Hospital - Suffolk Patchogue, NY · (631) 654-7100 HC CULTURE, BACTERIA, OTHER File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $10.34 | $177.93 | $7.76–$25,798.00 | 94% |
| NYU Langone – Orthopedic Hospital New York, NY HC CULTURE, BACTERIA, OTHER File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $10.34 | $177.93 | $7.76–$25,798.00 | 94% |
| NYU Langone Mineola, NY HC CULTURE, BACTERIA, OTHER File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $10.34 | $177.93 | $7.76–$25,798.00 | 94% |
| NYU Langone Brooklyn, NY HC CULTURE, BACTERIA, OTHER File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $10.34 | $177.93 | $7.76–$25,798.00 | 94% |
| NYU Langone – Tisch Hospital New York, NY · (212) 263-7300 HC CULTURE, BACTERIA, OTHER File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $10.34 | $177.93 | $7.76–$25,798.00 | 94% |
| Englewood Health Englewood, NJ · (201) 894-3000 Culture Gc 87070 File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $14.20 | $142.00 | $11.10–$113.60 | 90% |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 CULTURE,BACTERIAL,DEFINITIVE;T source file | $15.02 | $48.00 | $38.40–$40.80 | 69% |
| BronxCare Hospital Center - Fulton Campus Bronx, NY · (212) 588-7000 WOUND CULTURE+8 more lines at this price source file | $18.96 | $18.96 | $7.00–$18.52 | — |
| Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center - Concourse Division Bronx, NY · (212) 588-7000 WOUND CULTURE+8 more lines at this price source file | $18.96 | $18.96 | $7.00–$18.52 | — |
| Nassau University Medical Center East Meadow, NY · (516) 572-0123 Culture Sputum/Lower Resp+9 more lines at this price File of Oct 28, 2025 · source file | $20.30 | $29.00 | — | 30% |
| Englewood Health Englewood, NJ · (201) 894-3000 CSF Profile W/ Cult*X*87070 File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $30.10 | $301.00 | $23.54–$240.80 | 90% |
| The Valley Hospital Paramus, NJ · (201) 447-8000 NOSE CULTURE OTHER SOURCE+8 more lines at this price source file | $40.20 | $67.00 | $6.90–$56.95 | 40% |
| Englewood Health Englewood, NJ · (201) 894-3000 Routine Culture 87070 File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $42.30 | $423.00 | $33.08–$338.40 | 90% |
| Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY · (718) 283-6000 GENITAL CULTURE+12 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $45.00 | $45.00 | — | — |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 CULTURE, RECTAL R/O VRE source file | $48.20 | $154.00 | $123.20–$130.90 | 69% |
| Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, NY · (718) 920-4321 CHG CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $49.05 | $75.00 | $5.44–$68.58 | 35% |
| Nassau University Medical Center East Meadow, NY · (516) 572-0123 Pod Culture-Bacteria File of Oct 28, 2025 · source file | $50.35 | $71.92 | — | 30% |
| Nassau University Medical Center East Meadow, NY · (516) 572-0123 Bact Csf Culture+6 more lines at this price File of Oct 28, 2025 · source file | $50.36 | $71.94 | — | 30% |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 STERILITY CULTURE source file | $65.73 | $210.00 | $168.00–$178.50 | 69% |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 SINUS ASPIRATE CULTURE+1 more line at this price source file | $71.68 | $229.00 | $183.20–$194.65 | 69% |
| Helen Hayes Hospital West Haverstraw, NY · (845) 786-4000 CULTURE, BACTERIAL,THROAT+4 more lines at this price source file | $73.00 | $73.00 | $8.15–$12.93 | — |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 CSF CULTURE+7 more lines at this price source file | $86.70 | $277.00 | $221.60–$235.45 | 69% |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 RESPIRATORY CULTURE source file | $88.58 | $283.00 | $226.40–$240.55 | 69% |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 TISSUE CULTURE source file | $103.60 | $331.00 | $264.80–$281.35 | 69% |
| Westchester Medical Center Valhalla, NY · (914) 493-7000 CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC+1 more line at this price File of Jul 28, 2026 · source file | $104.00 | $104.00 | $31.20–$104.00 | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital Suffern, NY · (914) 368-5000 87070 -Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or+1 more line at this price File of Jun 29, 2026 · source file | $137.00 | $137.00 | $41.10–$95.90 | — |
| New York Community Hospital of Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY · (718) 692-5302 CULTURE, CSF File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $155.24 | $155.24 | — | — |
| Hunterdon Medical Center Flemington, NJ · (908) 788-6100 MRSA CULTURE source file | $159.00 | $508.00 | $406.40–$431.80 | 69% |
| New York Community Hospital of Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY · (718) 692-5302 CULTURE, SPUTUM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $160.95 | $160.95 | — | — |
| The Mount Sinai Hospital New York, NY · (212) 241-7981 HC Bact Culture Other Wound+9 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $162.00 | $180.00 | — | 10% |
| Mount Sinai Queens Long Island, NY HC Bact Culture Other Catheter Tip Cult+9 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $162.00 | $180.00 | — | 10% |
| Mount Sinai Morningside New York, NY HC Bact Culture Other Sputum+9 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $162.00 | $180.00 | — | 10% |
| Mount Sinai Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY HC Bact Culture Other+9 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $162.00 | $180.00 | — | 10% |
| New York Community Hospital of Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY · (718) 692-5302 CULTURE, WOUND+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $230.23 | $230.23 | — | — |
| New York Community Hospital of Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY · (718) 692-5302 BODY FLUID CULTURE+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $232.48 | $232.48 | — | — |
| New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai New York, NY · (212) 979-4000 CULTURE GENITAL+11 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $273.24 | $303.60 | — | 10% |
| University Hospital of Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY · (718) 270-1000 87070 - CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC source file | $485.00 | $485.00 | $22.00–$162.00 | — |
| Saint Peters University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ · (732) 745-8600 CULTURE SPUTUM+2 more lines at this price source file | $493.00 | $501.00 | $8.00–$501.00 | 2% |
| Saint Peters University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ · (732) 745-8600 EYE CULTURE source file | $746.00 | $755.00 | $8.00–$755.00 | 1% |
| Saint Peters University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ · (732) 745-8600 CULTURE BODY FLUID+2 more lines at this price source file | $747.00 | $755.00 | $8.00–$755.00 | 1% |
| Saint Peters University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ · (732) 745-8600 NASAL CULTURE source file | $779.00 | $788.00 | $8.00–$788.00 | 1% |
| Saint Peters University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ · (732) 745-8600 CULTURE AEROBIC+4 more lines at this price source file | $780.00 | $788.00 | $8.00–$788.00 | 1% |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Inpatient: lowest $9.91, median $18.96, highest $493.00 — a 49.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 47 facilities here, median $31.81 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 12 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.
42 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 87070 ($87.75). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Brookdale Hospital Medical Center Brooklyn, NYTHROAT CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Brookdale Hospital Medical Center Brooklyn, NYEAR CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Brookdale Hospital Medical Center Brooklyn, NYHC MICRO CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center Brooklyn, NYTHROAT CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center Brooklyn, NYEAR CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center Brooklyn, NYHC MICRO CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Interfaith Medical Center Brooklyn, NYTHROAT CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Interfaith Medical Center Brooklyn, NYEAR CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Interfaith Medical Center Brooklyn, NYHC MICRO CULTURE | $8.23 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BACTERIAL-WOUND | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BACTERIAL-G/U | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BACTERIAL-EAR | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BACTERIAL-THROAT | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BACTERIAL-TISSUE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE NASOPHARYGEAL | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE CATHETER | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BACTERIAL STEM CELL | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE VAGINAL | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE WOUND | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE SPUTUM | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BODY FLUID | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BRONCH | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE MISCELLANEOUS | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE CSF | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE G.C. | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJABSCESS CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJAMNIOTIC FLUID BACT CULTU | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJBILE CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJBONE CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJBONE MARROW CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE BACTERIAL DEFIN | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJDRAINAGE CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJENVIRONMENTAL CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJFLUID CULT-PERIT DIA | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJFLUID BACT CULTURE DIALY | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJGASTRIC CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJTHROAT CULTURE NEWBORN | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJVAGINAL CULTURE | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCULTURE AEROBIC QST | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL QST | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $8.62 | file |
| Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City, NJCUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISO | $8.62 | file |
File Link to the hospital's own price file.