Urine culture cost in Cincinnati, OH — inpatient
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 10 hospitals list a cash price for urine culture for bacteria, with colony count as an inpatient: from $43.60 to $89.40, with a median of $89.40. The lowest listed price is at Fort Hamilton Hospital — $45.80 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $53.10 at 99 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 6 cities for code 87086, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Hamilton Hospital lowest Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Urine Culture, Bacterial, Quant Colony Count, Lc | $43.60 | $109.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Urine Culture | $57.12 | $112.00 | $53.76–$112.00 | 49% | — source file |
| Fort Hamilton Hospital Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Culture, Urine With Colony Cnt | $68.80 | $172.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Culture Urine | $76.80 | $128.00 | — | 40% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Culture Urine | $76.80 | $128.00 | — | 40% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Urine Cult./Colony Count | $89.40 | $149.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Urine Cult./Colony Count | $89.40 | $149.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Urine Cult./Colony Count | $89.40 | $149.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital Mason, OH · (513) 637-9999 HC Urine Cult./Colony Count | $89.40 | $149.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Urine Cult./Colony Count | $89.40 | $149.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Urine Cult./Colony Count | $89.40 | $149.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $43.60, median $89.40, highest $89.40 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $76.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is 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 urine culture grows bacteria from a urine sample in the lab and counts how many colonies appear. It is used to confirm a urinary tract infection, especially when symptoms return or first treatment does not work.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the culture and colony count. If bacteria grow, identifying them and testing which antibiotics work are separate codes with their own charges.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 87086 ($59.15). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| The Craig and Frances Lindner Center of Hope Mason, OHHC CULTURE,URINE | $3.00 | file |