search again

Gene Activity Test to Identify a Cancer's Origin

Nationwide rates for HCPCS 81540

A laboratory test on a sample of tumor tissue that measures the activity of a large panel of genes and compares the pattern against the patterns of known cancer types. It is used when a cancer has already spread and doctors cannot tell which organ it began in, because treatment depends on the tissue of origin.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Gene Activity Test to Identify a Cancer's Origin cost?

$3,548

Typical negotiated rate. Nationwide, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $3,548 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $3,020 from a physician practice, and about $5,623 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 65 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$3,020$2,239 to $3,890
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$5,623$3,715 to $9,333

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $5,623 · 10th to 90th $2,951 to $15,136Professionalmedian $3,020 · 10th to 90th $1,514 to $6,761
$10.0$100.0$1.0K$10.0K$100.0Kfacility $5,623professional $3,020

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
$3,019.95
Median
$5,754.40
Typical High
$15,135.61
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,905.46
Median
$3,019.95
Typical High
$6,760.83
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3,311.31
Median
$5,011.87
Typical High
$15,848.93
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$851.14
Median
$1,513.56
Typical High
$5,495.41
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,454.71
Median
$7,585.78
Typical High
$16,218.10
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,778.28
Median
$4,466.84
Typical High
$8,912.51
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,621.81
Median
$3,715.35
Typical High
$4,466.84
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,230.27
Median
$2,238.72
Typical High
$5,128.61

What it costs in each state

The same service costs 4.0 times more in Alaska than in Rhode Island. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

AK $8,511RI $2,138

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.