Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Sheboygan, WI — inpatient
In Sheboygan, WI, 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 $11.88 to $80.00, with a median of $45.94. The lowest listed price is at St Nicholas Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis — $34.06 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $77.35 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 87070, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 24, 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 Sheboygan, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Nicholas Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis lowest Sheboygan, WI · (920) 459-8300 HC WATER CULTURE File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $11.88 | $18.00 | $8.62–$19.40 | 34% |
| St Nicholas Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Sheboygan, WI · (920) 459-8300 HC BODY FLUID CULTURE (ENVIRO) File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $31.68 | $48.00 | $8.62–$48.00 | 34% |
| St Nicholas Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Sheboygan, WI · (920) 459-8300 HC BODY FLUID CULTURE (THROAT) File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $58.74 | $89.00 | $8.62–$89.00 | 34% |
| Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County Sheboygan, WI · (920) 451-5000 CULTURE, AEROBIC File of Nov 21, 2025 · source file | $80.00 | $160.00 | $96.00–$136.00 | 50% |
| St Nicholas Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Sheboygan, WI · (920) 459-8300 CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC+1 more line at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $237.60 | $360.00 | $8.62–$360.00 | 34% |
Inpatient: lowest $11.88, median $45.94, highest $80.00 — a 6.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $45.94 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 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 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.