Average Medicaid Culture & Microbiology Tests Payments
Typical Medicaid Culture & Microbiology Tests reimbursement across 4,682 cities
Avg. Medicaid Paid
$6.07
Price Range
$0.00 – $634.67
Total Claims
78.4M
Cities
4682
Typical Payment Range
Typical Medicaid Culture & Microbiology Tests payments fall between $3.29 and $8.84 per claim (median: $5.68). The top 10% of payments exceed $14.70.
Based on per-provider averages across all Medicaid claims in this category.
About This Procedure
Laboratory tests that grow and identify bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms from specimens to diagnose infections and guide antibiotic treatment.
Why do these costs look low?
These figures represent Medicaid reimbursement rates — the amounts that state Medicaid programs actually paid providers. Medicaid typically reimburses significantly less than private insurance or out-of-pocket prices. If you have private insurance or are paying cash, expect higher costs. See the cost components below for per-code averages.
Costs by City
| City | Avg. Paid | Min / Max | Claims | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany, GA | $6.49 | $0.00 – $6.50 | 29,396 | 3 |
| Midland, MI | $2.53 | $0.32 – $3.82 | 29,399 | 3 |
| Tyler, TX | $8.63 | $0.00 – $23.55 | 29,405 | 74 |
| Puyallup, WA | $0.61 | $0.17 – $10.22 | 29,553 | 14 |
| Newark, OH | $4.89 | $0.00 – $31.44 | 29,588 | 24 |
| Putnam, CT | $3.54 | $3.54 – $3.54 | 29,631 | 1 |
| Port Huron, MI | $2.66 | $2.30 – $5.15 | 29,761 | 4 |
| Roswell, NM | $12.35 | $5.28 – $40.48 | 29,808 | 21 |
| South Miami, FL | $0.92 | $0.00 – $3.68 | 29,826 | 6 |
| Novi, MI | $3.17 | $0.06 – $14.93 | 29,847 | 5 |
| Collegeville, PA | $5.60 | $5.60 – $5.60 | 29,939 | 1 |
| Cypress, CA | $1.48 | $0.18 – $7.68 | 29,972 | 5 |
| Saint Cloud, MN | $10.29 | $0.00 – $14.05 | 30,028 | 9 |
| Oceanside, CA | $3.81 | $0.37 – $12.56 | 30,067 | 9 |
| Greenwood, SC | $19.42 | $3.71 – $21.18 | 30,367 | 7 |
| Somerset, KY | $5.99 | $4.47 – $6.01 | 30,382 | 2 |
| Olympia, WA | $1.58 | $0.75 – $10.29 | 30,409 | 11 |
| Ocala, FL | $1.50 | $0.00 – $6.13 | 30,567 | 28 |
| Chillicothe, OH | $13.87 | $0.00 – $36.81 | 30,776 | 31 |
| Hialeah, FL | $0.87 | $0.00 – $2.10 | 30,825 | 16 |
| Port Angeles, WA | $1.74 | $1.74 – $1.74 | 31,059 | 1 |
| Fond Du Lac, WI | $7.92 | $5.52 – $11.38 | 31,201 | 3 |
| Bridgeport, WV | $17.84 | $4.95 – $17.99 | 31,254 | 8 |
| Neenah, WI | $11.55 | $5.90 – $327.49 | 31,419 | 4 |
| Wellington, FL | $1.81 | $0.00 – $8.28 | 31,458 | 6 |
| Spring Valley, NY | $4.28 | $0.03 – $87.85 | 31,539 | 24 |
| Rancho Mirage, CA | $10.41 | $1.44 – $19.60 | 31,636 | 5 |
| Fort Myers, FL | $4.23 | $0.00 – $10.43 | 31,690 | 19 |
| Shreveport, LA | $6.76 | $0.00 – $32.12 | 31,876 | 103 |
| Hopkinsville, KY | $7.37 | $6.20 – $8.64 | 31,959 | 3 |
| Cooperstown, NY | $5.92 | $5.77 – $42.37 | 32,420 | 5 |
| Chico, CA | $8.55 | $0.00 – $8.99 | 32,438 | 7 |
| Idaho Falls, ID | $10.41 | $4.98 – $13.08 | 32,444 | 14 |
| Decatur, IL | $3.35 | $2.27 – $5.97 | 32,529 | 11 |
| Pensacola, FL | $1.25 | $0.00 – $11.29 | 32,542 | 35 |
| Gadsden, AL | $9.56 | $6.07 – $11.62 | 32,708 | 19 |
| Hamilton, NJ | $3.24 | $0.00 – $3.45 | 33,084 | 4 |
| Scottsdale, AZ | $3.66 | $0.00 – $34.58 | 33,093 | 18 |
| Lawrence, MA | $1.59 | $0.93 – $8.57 | 33,135 | 11 |
| Mount Holly, NJ | $2.31 | $0.01 – $4.88 | 33,169 | 3 |
| Topeka, KS | $6.80 | $0.00 – $697.94 | 33,335 | 22 |
| Troy, MI | $3.28 | $2.75 – $6.36 | 33,357 | 6 |
| Hampton, VA | $0.75 | $0.44 – $5.21 | 33,398 | 8 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $10.93 | $0.00 – $222.97 | 33,505 | 126 |
| Derby, CT | $3.73 | $3.19 – $28.11 | 33,735 | 6 |
| Glen Allen, VA | $3.88 | $0.16 – $61.72 | 33,742 | 4 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $6.03 | $0.00 – $26.81 | 33,757 | 46 |
| Salem, MA | $4.15 | $0.00 – $6.44 | 33,874 | 4 |
| Worcester, MA | $5.59 | $0.00 – $7.88 | 33,936 | 15 |
| Dubuque, IA | $5.97 | $0.00 – $7.85 | 34,002 | 12 |
Cost Components
National averages for each billing code in this procedure category. Sorted by claim volume.
| Code | Description | Avg. Paid | Claims | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87081 | Bacterial culture screen | $6.09 | 17,067,723 | 13,148 |
| 87070 | Bacterial culture any source | $7.92 | 16,974,753 | 10,129 |
| 87186 | Susceptibility MIC per agent | $4.81 | 16,618,129 | 4,454 |
| 87077 | Bacterial culture aerobic ID | $5.04 | 14,909,874 | 4,673 |
| 87205 | Gram stain smear primary | $2.40 | 4,994,833 | 2,839 |
| 87210 | Wet mount infectious agent | $5.11 | 4,712,262 | 6,976 |
| 87147 | Culture typing immunologic | $3.18 | 2,451,709 | 1,203 |
| 87150 | Culture typing nucleic pulse | $30.04 | 1,606,021 | 729 |
| 87075 | Bacterial culture anaerobic ID | $5.59 | 1,503,203 | 1,156 |
| 87184 | Susceptibility disk method | $4.38 | 1,443,783 | 653 |
| 87177 | Ova/parasite smear | $4.80 | 1,206,576 | 603 |
| 87209 | Smear complex stain ova/para | $9.06 | 1,133,525 | 393 |
| 87102 | Fungal culture other | $4.97 | 525,252 | 550 |
| 87206 | Smear fluorescent/acid fast | $2.77 | 350,856 | 384 |
| 87101 | Fungal culture skin | $4.04 | 296,460 | 164 |
| 87110 | Chlamydia culture | $8.71 | 248,967 | 475 |
| 87116 | Mycobacterial culture | $4.86 | 198,775 | 320 |
| 87076 | Bacterial culture anaerobic def | $6.97 | 168,632 | 188 |
| 87071 | Bacterial culture quantitative | $5.89 | 121,148 | 208 |
| 87106 | Fungal culture definitive ID | $4.99 | 116,838 | 169 |
| 87181 | Susceptibility per organism | $3.38 | 94,626 | 147 |
| 87185 | Susceptibility enzyme detect | $2.79 | 89,528 | 151 |
| 87149 | Culture typing nucleic acid | $12.60 | 53,774 | 97 |
| 87140 | Culture typing fluorescent | $3.35 | 43,147 | 59 |
| 87158 | Culture typing other methods | $4.86 | 37,576 | 21 |
| 87207 | Smear special stain | $5.06 | 25,167 | 89 |
| 87176 | Homogenization tissue culture | $2.19 | 19,563 | 81 |
| 87073 | Bacterial culture anaerobic | $2.91 | 15,495 | 39 |
| 87143 | Culture typing gas chromat | $5.93 | 12,219 | 5 |
| 87169 | Macroscopic exam parasite | $7.88 | 8,524 | 5 |
| 87168 | Macroscopic exam arthropod | $1.59 | 7,301 | 17 |
| 87187 | Susceptibility microtiter MIC | $20.40 | 4,651 | 7 |
| 87172 | Pinworm exam | $2.20 | 4,534 | 12 |
| 87188 | Susceptibility MIC macrobroth | $1.23 | 3,056 | 3 |
| 87190 | Susceptibility mycobacterial | $1.92 | 775 | 4 |
| 87164 | Dark field examination | $10.31 | 707 | 3 |
| 87153 | Culture typing additional | $47.98 | 459 | 3 |
| 87152 | Culture typing identification | — | — | — |
| 87166 | Dark field examination | — | — | — |
| 87197 | Susceptibility serum bactericid | — | — | — |
These averages group common billing codes used when providers bill Medicaid for this procedure. Individual costs will vary.