Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Thief River Falls, MN
In Thief River Falls, MN, 2 hospitals list a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $43.20 to $43.20, with a median of $43.20. The lowest listed price is at Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls and 1 other hospital. Across Minnesota, the median is $68.69 at 81 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities 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 Mar 4, 2026 and Mar 4, 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 Thief River Falls, MN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls lowest Thief River Falls, MN · (218) 683-4351 NOCARDIA CULTURE | $43.20 | $54.00 | $18.55–$50.76 | 20% | Mar 4, 2026 source file |
| Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center lowest Thief River Falls, MN · (218) 683-4400 NOCARDIA CULTURE | $43.20 | $54.00 | $18.55–$50.76 | 20% | Mar 4, 2026 source file |
| Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls, MN · (218) 683-4351 CULTURE: BACT OTHER 87070 | $88.00 | $110.00 | $37.79–$103.40 | 20% | Mar 4, 2026 source file |
| Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls, MN · (218) 683-4400 CULTURE: BACT OTHER 87070 | $88.00 | $110.00 | $37.79–$103.40 | 20% | Mar 4, 2026 source file |
| Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls, MN · (218) 683-4351 CULTURE: BACT RESPITOR 87070 | $159.20 | $199.00 | $68.36–$187.06 | 20% | Mar 4, 2026 source file |
| Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls, MN · (218) 683-4400 CULTURE: BACT RESPITOR 87070 | $159.20 | $199.00 | $68.36–$187.06 | 20% | Mar 4, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $43.20, median $43.20, highest $43.20.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $43.20. 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 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.