go back

Viral Culture Identification

North Dakota 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?

$40.74

Typical negotiated rate. In North Dakota, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $40.74 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $43.65 from a physician practice, and about $23.99 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$43.65$30.20 to $67.61
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$23.99$23.44 to $31.62

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $24 · 10th to 90th $23 to $60Professionalmedian $44 · 10th to 90th $23 to $76
$20.0$50.0$100.0$200.0facility $24professional $44

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
$23.44
Median
$23.44
Typical High
$60.26
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$23.44
Median
$30.20
Typical High
$102.33
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$44.67
Median
$64.57
Typical High
$75.86
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$38.90
Median
$38.90
Typical High
$50.12
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$23.44
Median
$40.74
Typical High
$162.18
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$16.98
Median
$23.44
Typical High
$57.54
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$104.71
Median
$104.71
Typical High
$104.71
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$16.98
Median
$35.48
Typical High
$54.95

Where North Dakota sits

The same service costs 3.0 times more in Alaska than in Washington, DC. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

North Dakota $40.74 · 12th of 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.