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Antibiotic Susceptibility Test, Each Drug

North Carolina 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?

$6.31

Typical negotiated rate. In North Carolina, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $6.31 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $3.80 from a physician practice, and about $15.85 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 6 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$3.80$3.80 to $5.25
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$15.85$6.61 to $43.65

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $16 · 10th to 90th $4 to $85Professionalmedian $4 · 10th to 90th $3 to $8
$2.0$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $16professional $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
$3.89
Median
$15.85
Typical High
$85.11
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.72
Median
$3.80
Typical High
$8.91
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$10.72
Median
$20.42
Typical High
$20.42
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.55
Median
$4.27
Typical High
$4.37
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.31
Median
$9.33
Typical High
$21.88
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.51
Median
$3.31
Typical High
$7.41
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.98
Median
$9.33
Typical High
$9.55
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.80
Median
$4.27
Typical High
$9.33
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.80
Median
$8.91
Typical High
$10.00
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.40
Median
$6.03
Typical High
$8.32
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.40
Median
$3.31
Typical High
$6.61
Wellcare
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$60.26
Median
$60.26
Typical High
$100.00

Where North Carolina 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.

North Carolina $6.31 · 13th 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.