Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Seaford, DE — inpatient
In Seaford, DE, 3 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) as an inpatient: from $86.20 to $246.12, with a median of $97.00. The lowest listed price is at PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Georgetown — $10.80 less than the median here. Across Delaware, the median is $199.38 at 8 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 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 Seaford, DE.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Georgetown lowest Georgetown, DE Aerobic culture | $86.20 | $86.20 | $60.34–$73.27 | — | Aug 6, 2026 source file |
| PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Georgetown lowest Georgetown, DE Body Fluid Culture | $86.20 | $86.20 | $60.34–$73.27 | — | Aug 6, 2026 source file |
| PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Georgetown lowest Georgetown, DE Sputum Culture | $86.20 | $86.20 | $60.34–$73.27 | — | Aug 6, 2026 source file |
| PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Georgetown lowest Georgetown, DE Culture, Wound Aerobic | $86.20 | $86.20 | $60.34–$73.27 | — | Aug 6, 2026 source file |
| TidalHealth Nanticoke Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 HC Cult Throat (Thrc) | $97.00 | $97.00 | $8.62–$76.63 | — | — source file |
| TidalHealth Nanticoke Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 HC Sm Cult Misc (Misc) | $97.00 | $97.00 | $8.62–$76.63 | — | — source file |
| TidalHealth Nanticoke Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 HC Body Fluid Smear and Culture | $97.00 | $97.00 | $8.62–$76.63 | — | — source file |
| TidalHealth Nanticoke Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 HC Sm Cult Respir (Resc) | $97.00 | $97.00 | $8.62–$76.63 | — | — source file |
| TidalHealth Nanticoke Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 HC Sm Cult Genital (Gesc) | $97.00 | $97.00 | $8.62–$76.63 | — | — source file |
| TidalHealth Nanticoke Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 HC Sm Cult CSF (Sfsc) | $97.00 | $97.00 | $8.62–$76.63 | — | — source file |
| Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus Milford, DE · (302) 422-3311 Hc Culture Othr Specimn Aerobic | $246.12 | $293.00 | — | 16% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $86.20, median $97.00, highest $246.12 — a 2.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $151.35 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 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.