Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Spokane, WA
In Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $74.80 to $162.40, with a median of $96.39. The lowest listed price is at Shriners Childrens - Spokane — $21.59 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $88.20 at 59 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 3 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shriners Childrens - Spokane lowest Spokane, WA · (509) 623-0422 BACTERIAL CULTURE; ANY OTHER SOURCE EXCEPT URINE; BLOOD OR STOOL; AEROBIC source file | $74.80 | $74.80 | $8.62–$26.81 | — |
| Prov Sacred Hrt Medical Center & Childs Hospital Spokane, WA · (509) 474-3131 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER+14 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $77.00 | $110.00 | — | 30% |
| Prov Sacred Hrt Medical Center & Childs Hospital Spokane, WA · (509) 474-3131 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER - CSF File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $84.00 | $120.00 | — | 30% |
| Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville, WA · (509) 684-2561 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER - RESPIRATORY+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $88.20 | $126.00 | — | 30% |
| Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane, WA HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $104.58 | $149.40 | — | 30% |
| Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Colville, WA · (509) 684-2561 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL CDM+8 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $119.00 | $170.00 | — | 30% |
| Providence St Joseph Hospital Chewelah, WA · (509) 935-8211 HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL LAB+10 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $127.40 | $182.00 | — | 30% |
| Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane, WA · (509) 482-0111 HC CULTURE-WOUND-SURFACE+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $162.40 | $232.00 | — | 30% |
| Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane, WA · (509) 482-0111 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER - RESPIRATORY+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $165.20 | $236.00 | — | 30% |
| Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane, WA · (509) 482-0111 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER - GENITAL TRACT+6 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $173.60 | $248.00 | — | 30% |
| Providence St Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center Spokane, WA HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL CDM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $266.49 | $380.70 | — | 30% |
| Providence Holy Family Hospital Spokane, WA · (509) 482-0111 HC CULTURE BACTERIA OTHER - CSF File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $289.10 | $413.00 | — | 30% |
| Prov Sacred Hrt Medical Center & Childs Hospital Spokane, WA · (509) 474-3131 HC CULTURE-IV CATH TIP+14 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $379.40 | $542.00 | — | 30% |
Outpatient: lowest $74.80, median $96.39, highest $162.40 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $104.58. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is not 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.