Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Rocky Mount, NC — inpatient
In Rocky Mount, NC, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) as an inpatient: from $14.56 to $86.20, with a median of $50.38. The lowest listed price is at ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital — $35.82 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $77.74 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 6, 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 Rocky Mount, NC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital lowest Tarboro, NC · (252) 641-7700 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $14.56 | $26.00 | $6.55–$24.70 | 44% |
| PAM Specialty Hospital of Rocky Mount Rocky Mount, NC Sputum Culture+1 more line at this price File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $86.20 | $86.20 | $60.34–$81.89 | — |
| ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital Tarboro, NC · (252) 641-7700 Culture Othr Specimn Aerobic File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $117.60 | $210.00 | $8.62–$16.02 | 44% |
| ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital Tarboro, NC · (252) 641-7700 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $123.76 | $221.00 | $55.69–$209.95 | 44% |
| PAM Specialty Hospital of Rocky Mount Rocky Mount, NC Pericardial Fluid Culture File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $342.27 | $342.27 | $239.59–$325.16 | — |
| PAM Specialty Hospital of Rocky Mount Rocky Mount, NC Pleural Fluid Culture File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $342.37 | $342.37 | $239.66–$325.25 | — |
| PAM Specialty Hospital of Rocky Mount Rocky Mount, NC Ascitic/Peritoneal Culture+4 more lines at this price File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $343.27 | $343.27 | $240.29–$326.11 | — |
Inpatient: lowest $14.56, median $50.38, highest $86.20 — a 5.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $14.56 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 2 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.