Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Wichita, KS
In Wichita, KS, 6 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $18.15 to $892.00, with a median of $49.53. The lowest listed price is at Kansas Medical Center — $31.38 less than the median here. Across Kansas, the median is $58.75 at 80 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 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 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 Wichita, KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Medical Center lowest Andover, KS · (316) 300-4000 CULTURE EXCEPT URINE/BLOO source file | $18.15 | $30.25 | $3.21–$27.15 | 40% |
| Kansas Surgery & Recovery Center Wichita, KS · (316) 634-0090 CULTURE WOUND/SPUTUM+4 more lines at this price source file | $31.84 | $32.00 | $3.62–$28.32 | 1% |
| Susan B Allen Memorial Hospital El Dorado, KS · (316) 321-3300 BACTERIAL CULTURE, ANY OTHER SOURCE EXCEPT URINE, BLOOD OR STOOL, AEROBIC source file | $35.10 | $54.00 | $350.00–$757.00 | 35% |
| Kansas Medical Center Andover, KS · (316) 300-4000 CULTURE BACTERIAL EXCEPT source file | $52.38 | $87.30 | $3.21–$34.92 | 40% |
| Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital Wichita, KS · (316) 462-5310 CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC source file | $63.96 | $98.40 | $8.45–$13.79 | 35% |
| Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital Wichita, KS · (316) 462-5310 BACTERIAL CULTURE; ANY OTHER SOURCE EXCEPT URINE; BLOOD OR STOOL; AEROBIC source file | $100.65 | $154.84 | $8.45–$13.79 | 35% |
| Wesley Woodlawn Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE RESPIRATORY File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $892.00 | $892.00 | $127.56–$802.80 | — |
| Wesley Medical Center Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE RESPIRATORY File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $892.00 | $892.00 | $127.56–$802.80 | — |
| Wesley Medical Center Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULT THROAT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $957.00 | $957.00 | $136.85–$861.30 | — |
| Wesley Woodlawn Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULT THROAT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $957.00 | $957.00 | $136.85–$861.30 | — |
| Wesley Woodlawn Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE WOUND File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,040.00 | $1,040.00 | $148.72–$936.00 | — |
| Wesley Medical Center Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE WOUND File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,040.00 | $1,040.00 | $148.72–$936.00 | — |
| Wesley Woodlawn Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE GENITAL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,057.00 | $1,057.00 | $151.15–$951.30 | — |
| Wesley Medical Center Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE GENITAL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,057.00 | $1,057.00 | $151.15–$951.30 | — |
| Wesley Woodlawn Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE SPUTUM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,192.00 | $1,192.00 | $170.46–$1,072.80 | — |
| Wesley Medical Center Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE SPUTUM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,192.00 | $1,192.00 | $170.46–$1,072.80 | — |
| Wesley Medical Center Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE CSF File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,366.00 | $1,366.00 | $195.34–$1,229.40 | — |
| Wesley Woodlawn Wichita, KS · (316) 962-2000 CULTURE CSF File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,366.00 | $1,366.00 | $195.34–$1,229.40 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $18.15, median $49.53, highest $892.00 — a 49.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $31.84. 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 2 of 6 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.