Strep test
CPT 87880 • Laboratory
If you're paying cash
$21 – $92
Posted cash price at 4 hospitals in North Carolina. Hospitals must publish these; ask for the self-pay or cash price by name when you call.
See what your plan negotiated
Lowest
$2
Typical
$16
Highest
$4,840
153,923 negotiated rates from NC hospitals. These are what insurers pay, not what you would be billed.
About this procedure
A rapid strep test — a throat swab that detects strep bacteria in about 10 minutes.
What to expect
The provider swabs the back of your throat (the swab feels weird but isn't painful) and runs the rapid test. Results in 10-15 minutes. Positive: antibiotics. Negative-but-symptomatic: a throat culture is sent to a lab and takes 1-2 days. Common with sore-throat sick visits.