go back

Viral Culture Identification

Alabama rates for HCPCS 87255

This is a laboratory test that attempts to grow a virus from a patient sample in living cells, then identifies it using methods other than watching for the visible changes it causes to those cells. It is one way to confirm a viral infection, though it has largely been supplemented by faster molecular tests in many settings.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Viral Culture Identification cost?

$33.88

Typical negotiated rate. In Alabama, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $33.88 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $30.20 from a physician practice, and about $38.90 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 5 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$30.20$28.18 to $38.90
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$38.90$36.31 to $48.98

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $39 · 10th to 90th $30 to $55Professionalmedian $30 · 10th to 90th $22 to $39
$20$50$100facility $39professional $30

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
$33.88
Median
$38.90
Typical High
$51.29
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$22.39
Median
$30.20
Typical High
$38.90
Ambetter
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$20.42
Median
$23.44
Typical High
$23.44
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$38.02
Median
$45.71
Typical High
$60.26
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$20.42
Median
$21.38
Typical High
$30.20
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$26.92
Median
$35.48
Typical High
$107.15
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$14.79
Median
$20.42
Typical High
$120.23
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$19.95
Median
$30.20
Typical High
$41.69
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$14.13
Median
$19.95
Typical High
$46.77

Where Alabama sits

The same service costs 3.0 times more in Alaska than in Washington, DC. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Alabama· 29th of 51

$33.88

AK $75.86DC $25.12

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.