CMS Price Transparency Data

Culture, blood

Facility: Columbus Regional Healthcare System

Billing Code: 87040 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$11

about 1.1× the $10 Medicare rate · typically $10–$13

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$10

About the fair price

about $1 under the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $10 Fair price $11 This hospital $10 Cash price $139 Hospital's list price $198

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NC hospitals

One of the lower prices — 0 of 8 other NC hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $9 Priciest $10

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 NC hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a Culture, blood is about $11 (about 1.1× the $10 Medicare rate). Columbus Regional Healthcare System charges insurers about $10, or about $139 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Whiteville, NC.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

5 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$10 - $135	97%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$10 - $127	97%
Aetnamajor	$11 - $192	107%
Cignamajor	$11 - $189	107%
Humanamajor	$11	107%
Ambetter (Centene)	$115 - $134	1114%
AmeriHealth	$44	426%
Devoted Health	$11	107%
Health Net	$132 - $147	1279%
Molina	$15 - $51	145%
Oscar Health	$129 - $145	1250%
UniCare	$10	97%
WellCare	$10 - $44	97%
+ 15 smaller / regional plans	$10 - $189

Excludes 2 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 139), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 87040.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Columbus Regional Healthcare System is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 87040.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Columbus Regional Healthcare System

Compare: Culture, blood at other NC hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.