Lab tests CPT 87086 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Urine culture cost in Syracuse, NY — inpatient

In Syracuse, NY, 2 hospitals list a cash price for urine culture for bacteria, with colony count as an inpatient: from $39.00 to $60.00, with a median of $49.50. The lowest listed price is at St Josephs Hospital Health Center — $10.50 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $38.00 at 57 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 87086, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 2026.

Lowest$39.00St Josephs Hospital Health Center
Median$49.50half pay less
Highest$60.00in this market
Difference1.5×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Syracuse, NY.

median
Lowest $39.00Highest $60.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
St Josephs Hospital Health Center lowest Syracuse, NY · (315) 448-5111 HC Quest Culture Colony Count Urine $39.00 $60.00 $6.97–$54.00 35% Mar 31, 2026
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St Josephs Hospital Health Center lowest Syracuse, NY · (315) 448-5111 HC Culture Colony Count Urine $39.00 $60.00 $6.97–$54.00 35% Mar 31, 2026
source file
Crouse Hospital Syracuse, NY · (315) 470-7449 87086 CULTURE BACTERIAL QUANTTATIVE COLONY COUNT U $60.00 $60.00 — — —
source file

Inpatient: lowest $39.00, median $49.50, highest $60.00 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $49.50 — 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.