Blood culture cost in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, 33 hospitals publish a cash price for blood culture for bacteria: from $17.31 to $350.00, with a median of $79.00. The lowest price is at Boston Medical Center South (Brockton). The highest price is 20.2× the lowest.
- The median here, $79.00, is 32% below the US median of $115.50.
- That is 7.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($10.32).
- Massachusetts ranks 12th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
- 18 of 33 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 87040. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Oct 17, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$17.31Boston Medical Center South
Median$79.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$350.00in Massachusetts
Lowest saves$61.69vs the median
Hospitals in Massachusetts, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Chg Culture Bacterial Blood Aerobic W/ID Isolates | $17.31 | $38.47 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Chg Culture Bacterial Blood Aerobic W/ID Isolates | $19.68 | $43.74 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Aerob Bacterial Blood Culture | $25.20 | $36.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Aerob Bacterial Blood Culture | $25.20 | $36.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Aerob Bacterial Blood Culture | $25.20 | $36.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $30.10 | $43.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Brown University Health Morton Hospital Taunton · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC CULTURE BLOOD | $38.47 | $38.47 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Holyoke Medical Center Holyoke · Springfield, MA Blood Culture For Bacteria | $43.00 | $43.00 | May 1, 2026 source file |
| The Mercy Hospital Springfield · Springfield, MA HC Culture Blood | $45.50 | $70.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $48.00 | $48.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Chg Culture Bacterial Blood Aerobic W/ID Isolates | $49.05 | $109.00 | Mar 13, 2026 source file |
| Saint Anne's Hospital Fall River · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC CULTURE BLOOD | $49.94 | $49.94 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group Fall River · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC Blood Culture for Bacteria | $50.50 | $101.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - St. Luke's Hospital St. New Bedford · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA HC Blood Culture for Bacteria | $50.50 | $101.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Blood Culture for Bacteria | $50.50 | $101.00 | Dec 15, 2025 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Milton · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $69.00 | $69.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH HC Culture, Blood | $79.00 | $79.00 | Mar 20, 2026 source file |
| Emerson Hospital Concord · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH BLOOD CULTURE-2ND SET | $84.75 | $113.00 | May 18, 2026 source file |
| Berkshire Medical Center Pittsfield · Pittsfield, MA Blood Culture | $89.36 | $94.06 | Oct 9, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Hospital Great Barrington · Pittsfield, MA Blood Culture | $89.36 | $94.06 | Oct 7, 2026 source file |
| North Adams Regional Hospital North Adams · Pittsfield, MA Blood Culture | $89.36 | $94.06 | Oct 9, 2026 source file |
| UMass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital Southbridge · Worcester, MA HC Culture, Bacterial Blood, Aerobic, With Isolation and Presumptive Identification of Isolates | $91.00 | $91.00 | Apr 3, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH BLOOD CULTURE FOR BACTERIA | $100.00 | $100.00 | Mar 17, 2026 source file |
| HealthAlliance - Clinton Hospital Leominster · Worcester, MA HC Culture, Bacterial Blood, Aerobic, With Isolation and Presumptive Identification of Isolates | $104.00 | $104.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Milford Regional Medical Center Milford · Worcester, MA Blood Culture | $111.00 | $111.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $111.00 | $111.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $116.00 | $116.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $116.00 | $116.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $123.00 | $123.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $130.00 | $130.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $178.00 | $178.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UMass Memorial Medical Center Worcester · Worcester, MA HC Culture, Bacterial Blood, Aerobic, With Isolation and Presumptive Identification of Isolates | $287.00 | $287.00 | Mar 26, 2026 source file |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH CHG CULTURE BACTERIAL BLOOD AEROBIC W/ID ISOLATES | $350.00 | $350.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 20 | $17.31 | $74.00 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 4 | $38.47 | $50.22 |
| Worcester, MA | 4 | $91.00 | $107.50 |
| Pittsfield, MA | 3 | $89.36 | $89.36 |
| Springfield, MA | 2 | $43.00 | $44.25 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What blood culture is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Blood culture explained.
Blood culture for bacteria in other states
- Alabama$81.98
- Alaska$209.15
- Arizona$126.65
- Arkansas$49.26
- California$272.16
- Colorado$209.10
- Connecticut$67.61
- Delaware$188.16
- District of Columbia$95.80, 3 hospitals
- Florida$341.00
- Georgia$150.76
- Hawaii$100.10
- Idaho$113.25
- Illinois$144.59
- Indiana$130.50
- Iowa$91.80
- Kansas$78.30
- Kentucky$112.10
- Louisiana$45.00
- Maine$83.73
- Maryland$109.77
- Michigan$63.00
- Minnesota$116.44
- Mississippi$89.20
- Missouri$111.24
- Montana$151.46
- Nebraska$186.89
- Nevada$236.30
- New Hampshire$140.45
- New Jersey$55.27
- New Mexico$131.08
- New York$62.83
- North Carolina$152.11
- North Dakota$85.00
- Ohio$93.60
- Oklahoma$73.78
- Oregon$110.16
- Pennsylvania$84.80
- Puerto Rico$44.42
- Rhode Island$82.80
- South Carolina$153.60
- South Dakota$164.00
- Tennessee$54.23
- Texas$204.31
- Utah$282.52
- Vermont$136.00
- Virginia$103.50
- Washington$149.05
- West Virginia$74.19
- Wisconsin$85.80
- Wyoming$110.78
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.