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Automated White Blood Cell Count

North Carolina rates for HCPCS 85048

This basic blood test counts the number of white blood cells in a sample using an automated laboratory instrument. White blood cells are part of the immune system and help the body fight infection, so this count is a routine part of evaluating overall health, infection, or many other conditions. It is often included as part of a broader blood count panel.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Automated White Blood Cell Count cost?

$2.45

Typical negotiated rate. In North Carolina, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $2.45 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $2.29 from a physician practice, and about $4.17 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 8 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$2.29$2.04 to $3.09
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$4.17$2.24 to $12.30

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $4 · 10th to 90th $2 to $28Professionalmedian $2 · 10th to 90th $2 to $4
$2$5$10$20$50$100facility $4professional $2

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
$2.04
Median
$4.47
Typical High
$25.70
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.04
Median
$2.29
Typical High
$3.55
Ambetter
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.51
Median
$1.78
Typical High
$27.54
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.57
Median
$10.96
Typical High
$10.96
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.51
Median
$2.34
Typical High
$2.34
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.74
Median
$5.01
Typical High
$11.48
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.35
Median
$1.78
Typical High
$3.98
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.09
Median
$4.90
Typical High
$9.55
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.04
Median
$2.29
Typical High
$5.01
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.04
Median
$3.39
Typical High
$3.80
Oscar Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.16
Median
$3.16
Typical High
$3.16
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.35
Median
$3.24
Typical High
$4.47
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.26
Median
$1.78
Typical High
$3.55
Wellcare
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$60.26
Median
$60.26
Typical High
$100.00

Where North Carolina sits

The same service costs 3.5 times more in Nebraska 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.

North Carolina· 38th of 51

$2.45

NE $6.76DC $1.91

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.