Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Rochester, NY
In Rochester, NY, 10 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $10.35 to $40.80, with a median of $31.60. The lowest listed price is at Geneva General Hospital — $21.25 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $37.80 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 7 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 12, 2024 and Aug 27, 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 Rochester, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva General Hospital lowest Geneva, NY · (315) 787-4175 ROUTINE CULTURE+1 more line at this price File of Aug 27, 2026 · source file | $10.35 | $25.86 | $7.93–$21.98 | 60% |
| F.F. Thompson Hospital Canandaigua, NY · (585) 396-6000 HB Cul Bact Xcpt Urine Blood/Stool Aerobic Isol File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $27.00 | — | — | — |
| Rochester General Hospital Rochester, NY · (585) 922-4000 HC BACTERIAL CULTURE AEROBIC_ OTHER THAN URINE_ BLOOD OR STOOL_ W ISOLATION _ PRESUMPTIVE ID File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $31.19 | $47.98 | — | 35% |
| Newark-Wayne Community Hospital Newark, NY · (315) 332-2022 HC BACTERIAL CULTURE AEROBIC_ OTHER THAN URINE_ BLOOD OR STOOL_ W ISOLATION _ PRESUMPTIVE ID File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $31.19 | $47.98 | — | 35% |
| Clifton Springs Hospital And Clinic Clifton Springs, NY · (315) 462-9561 HC BACTERIAL CULTURE AEROBIC_ OTHER THAN URINE_ BLOOD OR STOOL_ W ISOLATION _ PRESUMPTIVE ID File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $31.19 | $47.98 | — | 35% |
| Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital Dansville, NY · (585) 335-6001 HB Cul Bact Xcpt Urine Blood/Stool Aerobic Isol File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $32.00 | — | — | — |
| Orleans Community Health Medina, NY · (585) 798-8111 CULTURE RSV+35 more lines at this price File of Dec 12, 2024 · source file | $34.00 | $85.00 | $34.00–$85.00 | 60% |
| Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital Dansville, NY · (585) 335-6001 CHG CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $38.16 | $64.00 | — | 40% |
| The Unity Hospital of Rochester Rochester, NY · (585) 723-7000 HC BACTERIAL CULTURE AEROBIC_ OTHER THAN URINE_ BLOOD OR STOOL_ W ISOLATION _ PRESUMPTIVE ID File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $38.38 | $47.98 | — | 20% |
| Strong Memorial Hospital Rochester, NY · (585) 275-2121 HB Cul Bact Xcpt Urine Blood/Stool Aerobic Isol File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $40.80 | — | $7.67–$18.52 | — |
| Highland Hospital Rochester, NY · (585) 341-6711 HB Cul Bact Xcpt Urine Blood/Stool Aerobic Isol File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $40.80 | — | $7.67–$18.52 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $10.35, median $31.60, highest $40.80 — a 3.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $31.19. 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 4 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.