go back

Needle Sample Of A Lymph Node Near The Skin Surface

Alabama rates for HCPCS 38505

A needle is used to take a tissue sample from a lymph node located close to the skin surface, such as one in the neck, groin, or armpit, to check for infection, inflammation, or cancer. It is a less invasive alternative to open surgical removal of the node.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Needle Sample Of A Lymph Node Near The Skin Surface cost?

$1,394

Typical total for the visit. In Alabama, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $1,394 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $135 to the doctor who performs it, and $1,259 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

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.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$135$100 to $204
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$1,259$676 to $1,995

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $1,259 · 10th to 90th $155 to $2,570Professionalmedian $135 · 10th to 90th $66 to $263
$100$200$500$1K$2K$5Kfacility $1,259professional $135

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
$134.90
Median
$954.99
Typical High
$2,398.83
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$66.07
Median
$134.90
Typical High
$263.03
Ambetter
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$31.62
Median
$64.57
Typical High
$91.20
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,584.89
Median
$1,905.46
Typical High
$2,511.89
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
50 · Both sides
Typical Low
$2,344.23
Median
$2,818.38
Typical High
$3,801.89
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$109.65
Median
$162.18
Typical High
$204.17
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$79.43
Median
$138.04
Typical High
$257.04
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$645.65
Median
$1,778.28
Typical High
$3,235.94
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$60.26
Median
$107.15
Typical High
$194.98

Where Alabama sits

The same service costs 15.0 times more in California than in Delaware. 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.

Physician feeFacility fee

Alabama· 42nd of 51

$1,394

$135 physician + $1,259 facility

CA $4,615DE $307

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.