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Antibiotic Susceptibility Test, Each Drug

Alabama rates for HCPCS 87181

A follow-on laboratory test once bacteria have been grown from a sample. The organism is exposed to an antibiotic mixed into the material it is growing on, to see whether that drug stops it and at what strength, with a result reported for each drug tested.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Antibiotic Susceptibility Test, Each Drug cost?

$4.79

Typical negotiated rate. In Alabama, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $4.79 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $4.47 from a physician practice, and about $7.08 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 4 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$4.47$3.16 to $5.50
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$7.08$5.50 to $11.75

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $7 · 10th to 90th $4 to $14Professionalmedian $4 · 10th to 90th $1 to $5
$1.0$10.0$100.0$1.0Kfacility $7professional $4

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$5.50
Typical High
$9.55
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$0.69
Median
$4.79
Typical High
$5.50
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$10.00
Median
$11.75
Typical High
$15.85
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.31
Median
$3.47
Typical High
$4.79
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.72
Median
$5.01
Typical High
$15.49
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.19
Median
$2.82
Typical High
$16.98
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.82
Median
$4.27
Typical High
$5.89
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.00
Median
$2.82
Typical High
$6.61

Where Alabama sits

The same service costs 3.8 times more in West Virginia than in Connecticut. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

Alabama $4.79 · 33rd of 51
WV $13.49CT $3.55

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.