Bacterial culture (wound) cost in Maine
In Maine, 28 hospitals publish a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $14.70 to $181.60, with a median of $61.51. The lowest price is at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (Bangor). The highest price is 12.4× the lowest.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 87070. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Sep 29, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$14.70Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center
Median$61.51half of hospitals charge less
Highest$181.60in Maine
Lowest saves$46.81vs the median
Hospitals in Maine, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center lowest Bangor · Bangor, ME GENITAL CULTURE | $14.70 | $70.00 | — source file |
| Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital Ellsworth · Ellsworth, ME Veterinary Culture | $18.00 | $72.00 | — source file |
| Mount Desert Island Hospital Bar Harbor · Bar Harbor, ME Sputum Gram Stain MDIH | $19.80 | $22.00 | — source file |
| Northern Light AR Gould Hospital Presque Isle · Presque Isle, ME CULTURE, ROUTINE/LAB | $21.21 | $101.00 | — source file |
| Northern Light Mercy Hospital Portland · Portland-South Portland, ME BACTERIA CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $25.48 | $98.00 | — source file |
| St Mary's Regional Medical Center Lewiston · Lewiston-Auburn, ME HC CULTURE AEROBIC | $28.12 | $74.00 | — source file |
| Northern Light Acadia Hospital Bangor · Bangor, ME GENITAL CULTURE | $30.96 | $86.00 | — source file |
| Northern Light Mayo Hospital Dover Foxcroft · Dover Foxcroft, ME Culture Sputum ALI | $34.32 | $104.00 | — source file |
| Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital Pittsfield · Pittsfield, ME GENITAL CULTURE | $35.36 | $104.00 | — source file |
| Redington-Fairview General Hospital Skowhegan · Skowhegan, ME CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC | $42.00 | $60.00 | — source file |
| Millinocket Regional Hospital Millinocket · Bangor, ME CULTURE STREP B - OBS | $45.90 | $51.00 | — source file |
| Penobscot Valley Hospital Lincoln · Bangor, ME Culture Urogenital Marlboro TC 4558X | $50.88 | $63.60 | — source file |
| York Hospital York · Portland-South Portland, ME STATE BACTI MISC ALL OTHER SOURCES | $54.00 | $90.00 | — source file |
| Blue Hill Memorial Hospital Blue Hill · Blue Hill, ME GENITAL CULTURE | $54.02 | $146.00 | — source file |
| Rumford Hospital Rumford · Rumford, ME HC CULTURE SPEC, BACTERIA, NOT URINE,STOOL,BLOOD | $69.00 | $238.13 | Apr 29, 2026 source file |
| Bridgton Hospital Bridgton · Portland-South Portland, ME HC CULTURE SPEC, BACTERIA, NOT URINE,STOOL,BLOOD | $73.00 | $238.13 | Apr 29, 2026 source file |
| Northern Light CA Dean Hospital Greenville · Greenville, ME CULTURE, ROUTINE/LAB | $73.00 | $146.00 | — source file |
| MaineHealth Franklin Hospital Farmington · Farmington, ME HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL | $79.80 | $79.80 | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| Calais Community Hospital Calais · Calais, ME Culture (Ear-external)quest | $83.00 | $111.00 | — source file |
| Houlton Regional Hospital Houlton · Houlton, ME *CULT BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/ST | $85.50 | $90.00 | — source file |
| Southern Maine Medical Center Biddeford · Portland-South Portland, ME HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL | $88.30 | $88.30 | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| Down East Community Hospital Machias · Machias, ME Dech Culture Aerobic | $92.00 | $122.00 | — source file |
| LincolnHealth Damariscotta · Damariscotta, ME HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL | $127.65 | $127.65 | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Stephens Hospital Norway · Norway, ME HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL | $136.45 | $136.45 | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital Brunswick · Portland-South Portland, ME HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL | $145.05 | $145.05 | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital Rockport · Rockport, ME HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL | $145.05 | $145.05 | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland · Portland-South Portland, ME B* HC CUL BACT XCPT URINE BLOOD/STOOL AEROBIC ISOL | $171.50 | $171.50 | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Waldo Hospital Belfast · Belfast, ME HC CUL XCPT URINE AEROISOL | $181.60 | $181.60 | Sep 9, 2025 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-South Portland, ME | 6 | $25.48 | $80.65 |
| Bangor, ME | 4 | $14.70 | $38.43 |
| Bar Harbor, ME | 1 | $19.80 | $19.80 |
| Belfast, ME | 1 | $181.60 | $181.60 |
| Blue Hill, ME | 1 | $54.02 | $54.02 |
| Calais, ME | 1 | $83.00 | $83.00 |
| Damariscotta, ME | 1 | $127.65 | $127.65 |
| Dover Foxcroft, ME | 1 | $34.32 | $34.32 |
| Ellsworth, ME | 1 | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Farmington, ME | 1 | $79.80 | $79.80 |
| Greenville, ME | 1 | $73.00 | $73.00 |
| Houlton, ME | 1 | $85.50 | $85.50 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 1 | $28.12 | $28.12 |
| Machias, ME | 1 | $92.00 | $92.00 |
| Norway, ME | 1 | $136.45 | $136.45 |
| Pittsfield, ME | 1 | $35.36 | $35.36 |
| Presque Isle, ME | 1 | $21.21 | $21.21 |
| Rockport, ME | 1 | $145.05 | $145.05 |
| Rumford, ME | 1 | $69.00 | $69.00 |
| Skowhegan, ME | 1 | $42.00 | $42.00 |
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 it is
A bacterial culture grows bacteria from a sample such as a wound, throat swab, eye or fluid to find which germ causes an infection. It takes one to three days.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test; collecting the sample may be billed separately.
Bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) in other states
- Alabama$76.99
- Alaska$144.65
- Arizona$67.60
- Arkansas$38.48
- California$133.00
- Colorado$99.60
- Connecticut$48.32
- Delaware$199.38
- District of Columbia$89.70
- Florida$86.20
- Georgia$82.46
- Hawaii$80.40
- Idaho$58.88
- Illinois$90.00
- Indiana$93.42
- Iowa$60.45
- Kansas$58.75
- Kentucky$103.20
- Louisiana$29.24
- Maryland$112.37
- Massachusetts$40.00
- Michigan$53.00
- Minnesota$66.72
- Mississippi$53.04
- Missouri$68.30
- Montana$65.00
- Nebraska$77.42
- Nevada$112.00
- New Hampshire$92.10
- New Jersey$29.16
- New Mexico$84.78
- New York$38.38
- North Carolina$77.74
- North Dakota$64.80
- Ohio$68.50
- Oklahoma$44.13
- Oregon$52.38
- Pennsylvania$61.70
- Puerto Rico$30.00
- Rhode Island$68.80
- South Carolina$123.54
- South Dakota$89.18
- Tennessee$40.20
- Texas$69.48
- Utah$102.73
- Vermont$84.27
- Virginia$68.95
- Washington$88.20
- West Virginia$50.50
- Wisconsin$77.35
- Wyoming$73.60
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.