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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Connecticut rates for HCPCS 87166

Examination of fluid or scrapings under a microscope arranged so that light strikes the sample from the side, making extremely thin corkscrew-shaped bacteria stand out bright against a dark background. It is used mainly to look for the organism that causes syphilis in fluid taken from a sore, and it can give an answer straight away.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes cost?

$10.23

Typical negotiated rate. In Connecticut, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $10.23 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $10.23 from a physician practice, and about $17.78 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 5 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$10.23$8.32 to $10.23
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$17.78$12.30 to $25.12

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $18 · 10th to 90th $11 to $34Professionalmedian $10 · 10th to 90th $6 to $14
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0facility $18professional $10

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
$11.22
Median
$16.22
Typical High
$33.88
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.32
Median
$10.23
Typical High
$12.02
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$12.30
Median
$17.78
Typical High
$30.20
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.62
Median
$6.92
Typical High
$17.38
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.76
Median
$18.20
Typical High
$45.71
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.59
Median
$13.18
Typical High
$17.38
ConnectiCare
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.37
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$16.60
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$11.22
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$44.67
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$10.47
Typical High
$19.95

Where Connecticut sits

The same service costs 2.4 times more in Hawaii than in Washington, DC. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

Connecticut $10.23 · 40th of 51
HI $20.42DC $8.51

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.