go back

Viral Culture Identification

Kentucky 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?

$29.51

Typical negotiated rate. In Kentucky, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $29.51 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $27.54 from a physician practice, and about $46.77 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$27.54$20.42 to $30.90
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$46.77$27.54 to $123

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $47 · 10th to 90th $28 to $182Professionalmedian $28 · 10th to 90th $17 to $47
$20$50$100$200facility $47professional $28

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
$27.54
Median
$50.12
Typical High
$275.42
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$26.92
Median
$30.20
Typical High
$46.77
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$28.84
Median
$33.88
Typical High
$35.48
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$16.60
Median
$16.60
Typical High
$46.77
CareSource
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$33.88
Median
$40.74
Typical High
$47.86
CareSource
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$33.88
Median
$42.66
Typical High
$67.61
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$26.30
Median
$64.57
Typical High
$72.44
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$16.98
Median
$302.00
Typical High
$302.00
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$15.14
Median
$33.88
Typical High
$104.71
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$14.13
Median
$28.18
Typical High
$46.77

Where Kentucky 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.

Kentucky· 47th of 51

$29.51

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.