Rapid strep test cost in Appleton, WI
In Appleton, WI, 4 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $25.65 to $40.82, with a median of $39.22. The lowest listed price is at Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus — $13.57 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $45.58 at 68 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 cities for code 87880, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Appleton, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus lowest Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC - POC | $25.65 | $45.00 | $17.15–$40.07 | 43% | — source file |
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC | $29.07 | $51.00 | $17.15–$40.07 | 43% | — source file |
| Ascension Calumet Hospital Chilton, WI · (920) 849-2386 HC STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC - POC | $37.62 | $66.00 | $17.15–$40.07 | 43% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Appleton, WI RAPID GROUP A STREP THROAT SCREEN | $40.82 | $72.90 | — | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Appleton, WI · (920) 731-4101 RAPID GROUP A STREP THROAT SCREEN | $40.82 | $72.90 | — | 44% | — source file |
| Ascension Calumet Hospital Chilton, WI · (920) 849-2386 HC STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC | $43.32 | $76.00 | $17.15–$40.07 | 43% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $25.65, median $39.22, highest $40.82 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
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 rapid strep test checks a throat swab for group A strep bacteria, the cause of strep throat, and gives a result in minutes. It helps the clinician decide whether antibiotics are needed.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the rapid test only. The visit is billed separately, and a backup throat culture, if done, has its own charge.