Bacterial culture (wound) cost in North Carolina
In North Carolina, 54 hospitals publish a cash price for bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid): from $13.78 to $208.47, with a median of $71.80. The lowest price is at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital (Washington) and 1 other hospital. The highest price is 15.1× 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$13.78ECU Health Beaufort Hospital + 1 more
Median$71.80half of hospitals charge less
Highest$208.47in North Carolina
Lowest saves$58.02vs the median
Hospitals in North Carolina, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECU Health Beaufort Hospital lowest Washington · Washington, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $13.78 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| ECU Health Medical Center lowest Greenville · Greenville, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $13.78 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| WakeMed Cary Hospital Cary · Raleigh-Cary, NC HC Culture Othr Specimn Aerobic - Lc - 8482 | $14.06 | $37.00 | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| WakeMed Raleigh Campus Raleigh · Raleigh-Cary, NC HC Culture Othr Specimn Aerobic - Lc - 8482 | $14.06 | $37.00 | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Betsy Johnson Hospital Dunn · Anderson Creek, NC CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC | $14.36 | $23.93 | Apr 7, 2026 source file |
| Cape Fear Valley - Bladen County Hospital Elizabethtown · Elizabethtown, NC CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC | $14.36 | $23.93 | Mar 21, 2026 source file |
| Cape Fear Valley - Hoke Hospital Raeford · Fayetteville, NC CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC | $14.36 | $23.93 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Fayetteville · Fayetteville, NC CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC | $14.36 | $23.93 | Mar 21, 2026 source file |
| Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital Fayetteville · Fayetteville, NC CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC | $14.36 | $23.93 | Mar 22, 2026 source file |
| ECU Health Bertie Hospital Windsor · Windsor, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $14.56 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| ECU Health Chowan Hospital Edenton · Edenton, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $14.56 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| ECU Health Duplin Hospital Kenansville · Kenansville, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $14.56 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital Tarboro · Rocky Mount, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $14.56 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| ECU Health North Hospital Roanoke Rapids · Roanoke Rapids, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $14.56 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| East Carolina Health Ahoskie · Ahoskie, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $14.56 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Outer Banks Hospital Nags Head · Kill Devil Hills, NC 1273 Culture Other Specimn Aerobic-Ref-Qu | $14.56 | $26.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Iredell Memorial Hospital Statesville · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Quant. Brush Culture | $29.98 | $111.05 | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Rutherford Regional Medical Center Rutherfordton · Forest City, NC Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates | $37.45 | $93.62 | Jul 10, 2026 source file |
| Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Elkin · Mount Airy, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $39.00 | $78.00 | Jul 16, 2026 source file |
| Wilkes Regional Medical Center North Wilkesboro · North Wilkesboro, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $39.00 | $78.00 | Oct 8, 2025 source file |
| Duke University Hospital Durham · Durham, NC Cult Aerobic Np Presumpt ID | $39.42 | $146.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Raleigh · Raleigh-Cary, NC Cult Aerobic Hpc Stem Cell Presumpt ID | $39.42 | $146.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Regional Hospital Durham · Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Cult Aerobic Np Presumpt ID | $39.42 | $146.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Harris Regional Hospital Sylva · Sylva, NC Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates | $41.47 | $103.68 | Jul 10, 2026 source file |
| Alleghany County Memorial Hospital Sparta · Sparta, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $57.00 | $114.00 | Aug 12, 2025 source file |
| Randolph Health Asheboro · Asheboro, NC PERTUSSIS CULTURE & SMEAR | $59.40 | $297.00 | Dec 30, 2024 source file |
| Wilson Medical Center Wilson · Wilson, NC Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates | $69.60 | $174.00 | Jul 10, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Albemarle Regional Medical Center Elizabeth City · Elizabeth City, NC Chgl Environmental Culture | $74.00 | $148.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sampson Regional Medical Center Clinton · Clinton, NC Bacterial culture, any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic | $77.00 | $110.00 | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Scotland Memorial Hospital Laurinburg · Laurinburg, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $83.50 | $167.00 | Nov 3, 2025 source file |
| North Carolina Baptist Hospital Bermuda Run · Winston-Salem, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $86.50 | $173.00 | Oct 21, 2025 source file |
| North Carolina Baptist Hospital Winston Salem · Winston-Salem, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $91.50 | $183.00 | Oct 8, 2025 source file |
| Lexington Medical Center Lexington · Winston-Salem, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $93.00 | $186.00 | Oct 8, 2025 source file |
| Person Memorial Hospital Roxboro · Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Culture, bacterial; any other source except urine, blood or stool, aerobic, with isolation and presumptive identification of isolates | $108.80 | $272.00 | Jul 10, 2026 source file |
| High Point Regional Health High Point · Greensboro-High Point, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $112.00 | $224.00 | Oct 8, 2025 source file |
| Columbus Regional Healthcare System Whiteville · Whiteville, NC Synovial Fluid Culture | $119.24 | $170.34 | Sep 1, 2025 source file |
| AdventHealth Polk Columbus · Columbus, NC HC SPUTUM CULTURE | $119.60 | $119.60 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULT AEROBIC CATH TIP PRESUMPT ID | $121.23 | $449.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Erlanger Murphy Medical Center Murphy · Murphy, NC HC Culture Bacterial Except Urine Blood/Stool | $128.10 | $183.00 | Jan 25, 2026 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby · Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Mercy, a facility of Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health University City Charlotte · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $170.65 | $341.30 | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Stanly Regional Medical Center Albermarle · Albemarle, NC HC CULTURE OTHER SOURCE | $178.00 | $356.00 | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Hendersonville Hendersonville · Asheville, NC HC BRONCHIAL LAVAGE CULTURE | $185.00 | $185.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| CaroMont Regional Medical Center - Gastonia Gastonia · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC CHG CULTURE BODY FLUID | $200.00 | $200.00 | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC CHG CULTURE BODY FLUID | $200.00 | $200.00 | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC CHG CULTURE BODY FLUID | $200.00 | $200.00 | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Frye Regional Medical Center Hickory · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC CULTURE OTHR SPECIMN AEROBIC | $208.47 | $521.18 | Jul 8, 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
Check the item The description in the hospital file looks like a supply or device (a catheter, a brace, an implant), not this procedure. The hospital may have filed it under the wrong code: ask before relying on this price.
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 13 | $29.98 | $170.65 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 3 | $14.36 | $14.36 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 3 | $14.06 | $14.06 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 3 | $86.50 | $91.50 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 2 | $39.42 | $74.11 |
| Ahoskie, NC | 1 | $14.56 | $14.56 |
| Asheboro, NC | 1 | $59.40 | $59.40 |
| Albemarle, NC | 1 | $178.00 | $178.00 |
| Anderson Creek, NC | 1 | $14.36 | $14.36 |
| Asheville, NC | 1 | $185.00 | $185.00 |
| Clinton, NC | 1 | $77.00 | $77.00 |
| Columbus, NC | 1 | $119.60 | $119.60 |
| Durham, NC | 1 | $39.42 | $39.42 |
| Edenton, NC | 1 | $14.56 | $14.56 |
| Elizabethtown, NC | 1 | $14.36 | $14.36 |
| Elizabeth City, NC | 1 | $74.00 | $74.00 |
| Forest City, NC | 1 | $37.45 | $37.45 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 1 | $112.00 | $112.00 |
| Greenville, NC | 1 | $13.78 | $13.78 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 1 | $208.47 | $208.47 |
| Kenansville, NC | 1 | $14.56 | $14.56 |
| Kill Devil Hills, NC | 1 | $14.56 | $14.56 |
| Laurinburg, NC | 1 | $83.50 | $83.50 |
| Murphy, NC | 1 | $128.10 | $128.10 |
| Mount Airy, NC | 1 | $39.00 | $39.00 |
| North Wilkesboro, NC | 1 | $39.00 | $39.00 |
| Roanoke Rapids, NC | 1 | $14.56 | $14.56 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 1 | $14.56 | $14.56 |
| Sparta, NC | 1 | $57.00 | $57.00 |
| Sylva, NC | 1 | $41.47 | $41.47 |
| Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 1 | $170.65 | $170.65 |
| Whiteville, NC | 1 | $119.24 | $119.24 |
| Windsor, NC | 1 | $14.56 | $14.56 |
| Washington, NC | 1 | $13.78 | $13.78 |
| Wilson, NC | 1 | $69.60 | $69.60 |
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$61.62
- Arkansas$38.48
- California$133.00
- Colorado$107.50
- Connecticut$51.32
- Delaware$225.91
- District of Columbia$89.70
- Florida$90.00
- Georgia$82.46
- Hawaii$80.40
- Idaho$58.88
- Illinois$91.00
- Indiana$94.20
- Iowa$60.45
- Kansas$56.10
- Kentucky$103.20
- Louisiana$28.15
- Maine$69.00
- Maryland$112.37
- Massachusetts$40.00
- Michigan$53.00
- Minnesota$69.27
- Mississippi$53.04
- Missouri$67.70
- Montana$65.00
- Nebraska$81.03
- Nevada$112.00
- New Hampshire$92.10
- New Jersey$29.16
- New Mexico$82.59
- New York$37.80
- North Dakota$64.80
- Ohio$68.50
- Oklahoma$42.50
- Oregon$52.38
- Pennsylvania$61.20
- Puerto Rico$30.00
- Rhode Island$68.80
- South Carolina$123.54
- South Dakota$87.50
- Tennessee$39.10
- Texas$67.00
- Utah$102.73
- Vermont$84.27
- Virginia$68.95
- Washington$87.60
- West Virginia$50.50
- Wisconsin$77.35
- Wyoming$75.00
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.