Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Somerset, PA
In Somerset, PA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $48.00 to $78.20, with a median of $63.10. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Somerset — $15.10 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $61.70 at 94 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 25, 2026 and Feb 25, 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 Somerset, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Somerset lowest Somerset, PA · (814) 443-5000 HC CYSTIC RESP CULT | $48.00 | $80.00 | $6.90–$60.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Somerset lowest Somerset, PA · (814) 443-5000 HC ROUTINE CULTURE | $48.00 | $80.00 | $6.90–$60.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Somerset lowest Somerset, PA · (814) 443-5000 HC GENITAL CULTURE | $48.00 | $80.00 | $6.90–$60.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Somerset lowest Somerset, PA · (814) 443-5000 HC LOWER RESPIRATORY CULTURE | $48.00 | $80.00 | $6.90–$60.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Somerset lowest Somerset, PA · (814) 443-5000 HC NP/THROAT/WOUND CULTURE | $48.00 | $80.00 | $6.90–$60.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE SPUTUM | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE WOUND | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CUTURE VAGINAL | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE CSF | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE TISSUE | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE NASAL | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE, CATHETER TIP | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE OTHER | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE EAR | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE EYE | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE BODY FLUID | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
| Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA · (814) 467-3000 CULTURE THROAT | $78.20 | $92.00 | $6.90–$28.02 | 15% | Feb 25, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $48.00, median $63.10, highest $78.20 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $63.10. 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 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.