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Viral Culture Identification

Rhode Island 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?

$39.81

Typical negotiated rate. In Rhode Island, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $39.81 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $35.48 from a physician practice, and about $102 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$35.48$25.12 to $40.74
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$102$45.71 to $195

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $102 · 10th to 90th $40 to $214Professionalmedian $35 · 10th to 90th $22 to $51
$20.0$50.0$100.0$200.0facility $102professional $35

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
$102.33
Median
$138.04
Typical High
$218.78
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$30.20
Median
$35.48
Typical High
$40.74
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$38.90
Median
$41.69
Typical High
$45.71
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$19.05
Median
$25.12
Typical High
$51.29
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$31.62
Median
$81.28
Typical High
$141.25
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$24.55
Median
$26.30
Typical High
$51.29
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$40.74
Median
$40.74
Typical High
$67.61
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$19.05
Median
$28.18
Typical High
$67.61

Where Rhode Island 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.

Rhode Island $39.81 · 17th 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.