C. diff test cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 16 hospitals list a cash price for C. difficile toxin gene test (stool PCR): from $59.36 to $140.39, with a median of $117.50. The lowest listed price is at Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital and 4 other hospitals — $58.14 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $151.80 at 97 hospitals.
- The median here, $117.50, is 14% below the US median of $136.79.
- That is 3.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($37.27).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 10 cities for code 87493, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 7, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Nov 6, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital lowest Franklin, WI HC C DIFF, TOX GEN(S), AMPL TECHN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $59.36 | $112.00 | $39.13–$87.58 | 47% |
| Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee Campus lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC C DIFF, TOX GEN(S), AMPL TECHN+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $59.36 | $112.00 | $39.13–$83.11 | 47% |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC C DIFF, TOX GEN(S), AMPL TECHN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $59.36 | $112.00 | $39.13–$87.58 | 47% |
| Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus lowest Mequon, WI HC C DIFF, TOX GEN(S), AMPL TECHN+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $59.36 | $112.00 | $39.13–$83.11 | 47% |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC C DIFF, TOX GEN(S), AMPL TECHN File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $59.36 | $112.00 | $39.13–$87.58 | 47% |
| Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Glendale, WI C DIFFICILE TOXIN AMPLI PROBE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $108.65 | $205.00 | $36.15–$85.60 | 47% |
| Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital Franklin, WI HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $109.71 | $207.00 | $39.13–$164.91 | 47% |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $109.71 | $207.00 | $39.13–$164.91 | 47% |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - Franklin Campus Franklin, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $109.71 | $207.00 | $39.13–$164.91 | 47% |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE AMPLIFIED PROBE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $109.71 | $207.00 | $39.13–$164.91 | 47% |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 4, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 6, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Aurora St. Luke's South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI · (414) 649-6000 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 6, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 C DIFFICILE TOXIN BY PCR File of Nov 6, 2026 · source file | $117.50 | $235.00 | $31.19–$199.75 | 50% |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE NAAT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 23, 2026 · source file | $140.39 | $255.25 | $178.68–$242.49 | 45% |
| Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee Campus Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE AMPLIFIED PROBE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $191.33 | $361.00 | $39.13–$160.13 | 47% |
| Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus Mequon, WI HC CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE AMPLIFIED PROBE+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $191.33 | $361.00 | $39.13–$160.13 | 47% |
Outpatient: lowest $59.36, median $117.50, highest $140.39 — a 2.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $117.50. 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 15 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 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 C. diff test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: C. diff test explained.