CMS Price Transparency Data

Culture, bacterial

Facility: MUSC Medical Center

Billing Code: 87070 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$17

about 1.9× the $9 Medicare rate · typically $9–$22

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$22

Above the fair price

about $5 over the fair price · 2.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $9 Fair price $17 This hospital $22 Cash price $192 Hospital's list price $385

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other SC hospitals

Highest price of the 9 SC hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $9 Priciest $22

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 SC 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, bacterial is about $17 (about 1.9× the $9 Medicare rate). MUSC Medical Center charges insurers about $22, or about $192 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Charleston, SC.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $17. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna UnitedHealthcareCignaHumanaKaiser 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
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$21 - $56	244%
Aetnamajor	$9	104%
Clover Health	$9	104%
Molina	$9	104%
+ 1 smaller / regional plan	$9

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 192), 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: 87070.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm MUSC Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 87070.
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 MUSC Medical Center

Compare: Culture, bacterial at other SC hospitals

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