Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Waco, TX — inpatient
In Waco, TX, 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 $35.06 to $52.56, with a median of $43.81. The lowest listed price is at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest — $8.75 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $67.00 at 273 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 Jan 1, 2026 and Jun 13, 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 Waco, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest lowest Waco, TX · (254) 202-2000 HC REF ARUP COMP 2006686 CPT 87070 File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $35.06 | $58.44 | $19.29–$40.91 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest Waco, TX · (254) 202-2000 HC REF SYNOVASURE, COMP PJII, CPT 87070 File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $43.16 | $71.94 | $23.74–$50.36 | 40% |
| Ascension Providence Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 LEGIONELLA SPECIES CULTURE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $52.56 | $146.00 | $5.61–$38.01 | 64% |
| Ascension Providence one side Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 CULTURE RT BODY FLUID+2 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $57.06 | $158.50 | $5.61–$38.01 | 64% |
| Ascension Providence Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 CULTURE TISSUE BIOPSY File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $57.06 | $158.50 | $5.61–$38.01 | 64% |
| Ascension Providence Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 CULTURE SPINAL FLUID File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $59.94 | $166.50 | $5.61–$38.01 | 64% |
| Ascension Providence one side Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 CULTURE RT GENITAL+3 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $59.94 | $166.50 | $5.61–$38.01 | 64% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest Waco, TX · (254) 202-2000 HC CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC - THROAT CULTURE+9 more lines at this price File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $145.35 | $242.25 | $79.94–$169.57 | 40% |
Inpatient: lowest $35.06, median $43.81, highest $52.56 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $43.81 — 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.