Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 18 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $53.50 to $685.03, with a median of $92.50. The lowest listed price is at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center — $39.00 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $89.70 at 5 hospitals.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 14 cities for code 87070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgl Eye Culture+16 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $53.50 | $107.00 | — | 50% |
| National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington, DC CULTURE BACT AEROBIC+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $61.02 | $93.88 | $8.45–$79.80 | 35% |
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WV · (304) 728-1600 CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC source file | $74.00 | $148.00 | — | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 CULTURE BACT AEROBIC+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $87.82 | $135.10 | $8.62–$114.84 | 35% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 CULT BACTERIAL DEF OTHR SRC+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $89.70 | $138.00 | $8.62–$124.20 | 35% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC CULTURE BACT OTH AERO W/ISOLATION source file | $92.50 | $185.00 | $8.62–$144.30 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC CULTURE BACT OTH AERO W/ISOLATION source file | $92.50 | $185.00 | $8.62–$144.30 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC CULTURE BACT OTH AERO W/ISOLATION source file | $92.50 | $185.00 | $8.62–$144.30 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC CULTURE BACT OTH AERO W/ISOLATION source file | $92.50 | $185.00 | $8.62–$144.30 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC CULTURE BACT OTH AERO W/ISOLATION source file | $92.50 | $185.00 | $8.62–$144.30 | 50% |
| MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney, MD · (301) 774-8882 CULTURE,BACT AEROBIC+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $105.81 | $107.97 | $105.81–$107.97 | 2% |
| MedStar Southern Hospital Center Clinton, MD · (301) 868-8000 CULTURE,BACT AEROBIC+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $114.97 | $117.32 | $114.97–$117.32 | 2% |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates source file | $180.40 | $451.00 | $10.83 | 60% |
| Children's National Rehabilitation and Specialized Care Washington, DC WOUND CULTURE+6 more lines at this price source file | $262.00 | $524.00 | $7.63–$497.80 | 50% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 Catheter Tip Culture+18 more lines at this price source file | $264.00 | $528.00 | $8.62–$388.33 | 50% |
| Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 498-4000 CULTURE RESPIRATORY+9 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $555.12 | $555.12 | $105.47–$499.61 | — |
| Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 498-4000 CULT ENVIRON EPIDEMI File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $652.32 | $652.32 | $123.94–$587.09 | — |
| Reston Hospital Center Vienna, VA · (703) 689-9000 CULTURE RESPIRATORY File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $678.73 | $678.73 | $481.90 | — |
| Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · (571) 349-4000 CULTURE BODY FLUID+10 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $685.03 | $685.03 | $130.16–$582.28 | — |
| Reston Hospital Center Vienna, VA · (703) 689-9000 CULTURE SURGICAL SPEC+5 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $685.08 | $685.08 | $130.17–$616.57 | — |
| Reston Hospital Center Vienna, VA · (703) 689-9000 CULTURE CSF+3 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $697.76 | $697.76 | $132.57–$627.98 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $53.50, median $92.50, highest $685.03 — a 12.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $92.50. 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 12 of 16 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.