go back

First Fluid Tap Through An Infant's Soft Spot

Alaska rates for HCPCS 61000

A needle is passed through the soft spot or a suture line on a baby's skull to draw off fluid or blood that has collected between the brain and its covering. This is the first such tap, relieving pressure on the developing brain and providing a sample for testing. It is done at the bedside and takes only a few minutes.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does First Fluid Tap Through An Infant's Soft Spot cost?

$389

Typical negotiated rate. In Alaska, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $389 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $389 from a physician practice, and about $275 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 6 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$389$257 to $513
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$275$155 to $741

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $275 · 10th to 90th $123 to $9,772Professionalmedian $389 · 10th to 90th $123 to $724
$100$200$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $275professional $389

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
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$354.81
Median
$5,888.44
Typical High
$14,125.38
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$123.03
Median
$288.40
Typical High
$512.86
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$114.82
Median
$158.49
Typical High
$354.81
Moda Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$123.03
Median
$165.96
Typical High
$724.44
Moda Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$275.42
Median
$389.05
Typical High
$724.44
Premera BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$467.74
Median
$467.74
Typical High
$660.69
Providence
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$123.03
Median
$165.96
Typical High
$724.44
Providence
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$60.26
Median
$257.04
Typical High
$257.04
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$117.49
Median
$288.40
Typical High
$676.08

Where Alaska sits

The same service costs 29.5 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.

Alaska· 8th of 51

$389

CA $3,162DE $107

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.