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Viral Culture Identification

Vermont 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?

$58.88

Typical negotiated rate. In Vermont, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $58.88 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $58.88 from a physician practice, and about $263 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$58.88$58.88 to $58.88
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$263$33.88 to $575

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $263 · 10th to 90th $12 to $603Professionalmedian $59 · 10th to 90th $28 to $59
$20$50$100$200$500facility $263professional $59

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. Small sample; interpret with caution. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$58.88
Median
$58.88
Typical High
$58.88
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$263.03
Median
$263.03
Typical High
$602.56
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$41.69
Median
$41.69
Typical High
$41.69
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$56.23
Median
$56.23
Typical High
$56.23
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$24.55
Median
$48.98
Typical High
$58.88
MVP Health Care
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$33.88
Median
$33.88
Typical High
$33.88
MVP Health Care
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$26.92
Median
$26.92
Typical High
$26.92
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$11.75
Median
$11.75
Typical High
$11.75
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$15.49
Median
$41.69
Typical High
$91.20

Where Vermont 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.

Vermont· 3rd of 51

$58.88

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.