Lab tests CPT 87880 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Rapid strep test cost in Seaford, DE — inpatient

In Seaford, DE, 2 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually as an inpatient: from $73.00 to $120.12, with a median of $96.56. The lowest listed price is at TidalHealth Nanticoke — $23.56 less than the median here. Across Delaware, the median is $114.75 at 5 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87880, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$73.00TidalHealth Nanticoke
Median$96.56half pay less
Highest$120.12in this market
Difference1.6×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 Seaford, DE.

median
Lowest $73.00Highest $120.12

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
TidalHealth Nanticoke lowest Seaford, DE · (302) 629-6611 HC Streptococcus, Group A $73.00 $73.00 $37.23–$67.89 — —
source file
Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus Milford, DE · (302) 422-3311 Hc Strep A Assay W/Optic $120.12 $143.00 — 16% Apr 1, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $73.00, median $96.56, highest $120.12 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $114.75 — 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 not 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 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.