Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Portland, ME
In Portland-South Portland, ME, 6 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $25.48 to $171.50, with a median of $80.65. The lowest listed price is at Northern Light Mercy Hospital — $55.17 less than the median here. Across Maine, the median is $69.00 at 27 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 Sep 9, 2025 and Jul 4, 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 Portland-South Portland, ME.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Light Mercy Hospital lowest Portland, ME · (207) 879-3000 BACTERIA CULTURE OTHER SOURCE File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $25.48 | $98.00 | $52.33–$74.68 | 74% |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 STATE BACTI MISC ALL OTHER SOURCES File of Jul 4, 2026 · source file | $54.00 | $90.00 | — | 40% |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 CULTURE, RECTAL+1 more line at this price File of Jul 4, 2026 · source file | $68.40 | $114.00 | — | 40% |
| Bridgton Hospital Bridgton, ME · (207) 647-6000 HC CULTURE SPEC, BACTERIA, NOT URINE,STOOL,BLOOD File of Apr 29, 2026 · source file | $73.00 | $238.13 | $8.62–$215.98 | 69% |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 CULTURE, VAGINAL File of Jul 4, 2026 · source file | $86.40 | $144.00 | — | 40% |
| Southern Maine Medical Center Biddeford, ME · (207) 662-0111 HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL File of Sep 9, 2025 · source file | $88.30 | $88.30 | $8.62–$83.00 | — |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 CULTURE, CYST+24 more lines at this price File of Jul 4, 2026 · source file | $90.60 | $151.00 | — | 40% |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 CULTURE, WOUND File of Jul 4, 2026 · source file | $99.00 | $165.00 | — | 40% |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 CULTURE, SKIN+1 more line at this price File of Jul 4, 2026 · source file | $99.60 | $166.00 | — | 40% |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 CULTURE, THROAT File of Jul 4, 2026 · source file | $125.40 | $209.00 | — | 40% |
| MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL File of Sep 9, 2025 · source file | $145.05 | $145.05 | $8.62–$136.93 | — |
| MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 B* HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL File of Sep 9, 2025 · source file | $171.50 | $171.50 | $8.62–$161.21 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $25.48, median $80.65, highest $171.50 — a 6.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $88.30. 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 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 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.