Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Rochester, NY — inpatient
In Rochester, NY, 7 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) as an inpatient: from $10.35 to $38.38, with a median of $31.19. The lowest listed price is at Geneva General Hospital — $20.84 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $37.80 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 6 cities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 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 (UR) CULTURE ANY OTHER SOURCE+1 more line at this price File of Aug 27, 2026 · source file | $10.35 | $25.86 | — | 60% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| Orleans Community Health Medina, NY · (585) 798-8111 CULTURE BODY FLUID LC+35 more lines at this price 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 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% |
Inpatient: lowest $10.35, median $31.19, highest $38.38 — a 3.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $31.60 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.