Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Philadelphia, PA — inpatient
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 18 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) as an inpatient: from $29.16 to $355.00, with a median of $117.20. The lowest listed price is at Inspira Health Center Woodbury and 3 other hospitals — $88.04 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $61.70 at 94 hospitals.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 17 cities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 26, 2026 and Sep 21, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury lowest Woodbury, NJ EAR CULTURE+15 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $29.16 | $29.16 | — | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington lowest Salem, NJ Culture Aerobic Bacteria w/Gram Stain-Q+15 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $29.16 | $29.16 | — | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill lowest Mullica Hill, NJ · (856) 363-1000 CULTURE BODY FLUID+15 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $29.16 | $29.16 | — | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer lowest Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 Culture Aerobic Bacteria w/Gram Stain-Q+15 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $29.16 | $29.16 | — | — |
| Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center Meadowbrook, PA · (215) 947-3000 Culture File of Sep 21, 2026 · source file | $33.36 | $55.59 | — | 40% |
| Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center Meadowbrook, PA · (215) 947-3000 Fluid Culture+9 more lines at this price File of Sep 21, 2026 · source file | $37.53 | $62.54 | — | 40% |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 ENVIRONM CULTURE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $57.11 | $57.11 | — | — |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 CULTURE,BETA STREP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $63.61 | $63.61 | — | — |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 CULTURE,GENITAL+4 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $79.67 | $79.67 | — | — |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Culture Throat+10 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $92.30 | $142.00 | $7.94–$134.90 | 35% |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Eye Culture+10 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $117.20 | $293.00 | — | 60% |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Tissue Culture+10 more lines at this price source file | $117.20 | $293.00 | — | 60% |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Wound Culture+10 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $117.20 | $293.00 | — | 60% |
| Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital Malvern, PA Hc Eye Culture+10 more lines at this price source file | $117.20 | $293.00 | — | 60% |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Fluid Culture+10 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $117.20 | $293.00 | — | 60% |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Culture Catheter Tip+10 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $141.05 | $217.00 | $8.60–$217.00 | 35% |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC Culture Body Fluid+13 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $141.70 | $218.00 | $8.62–$473.55 | 35% |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Culture Sputum File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $141.70 | $218.00 | $8.60–$218.00 | 35% |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 CULTURE,RESPIRATORY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $146.08 | $146.08 | — | — |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 CULTURE,THROAT File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $188.71 | $188.71 | — | — |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Quest 4446 Culture Bacterial Other Source File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $193.05 | $297.00 | $8.45–$285.12 | 35% |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Culture Body Fluid+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $211.90 | $326.00 | $8.45–$312.96 | 35% |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Culture Tissue File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $215.15 | $331.00 | $8.45–$317.76 | 35% |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Culture Eye+4 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $226.85 | $349.00 | $8.45–$335.04 | 35% |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 CULTURE,BODY FLUID File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $260.69 | $260.69 | — | — |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Quest Culture Bacterial Other Source Wound Superficial File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $267.80 | $412.00 | $7.94–$391.40 | 35% |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 CULTURE,CSF File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $285.15 | $285.15 | — | — |
| St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks Campus Quakertown, PA · (267) 985-1000 HB CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $310.50 | $345.00 | $89.53–$97.01 | 10% |
| St Luke's Hospital - Grand View Campus Sellersville, PA · (215) 453-4000 HB CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $310.50 | $345.00 | $158.70–$293.25 | 10% |
| Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Culture Bacterial+1 more line at this price source file | $355.00 | $355.00 | — | — |
Inpatient: lowest $29.16, median $117.20, highest $355.00 — a 12.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 25 facilities here, median $76.20 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 6 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.