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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Washington, DC 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?

$8.51

Typical negotiated rate. In Washington, DC, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $8.51 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $8.51 from a physician practice, and about $19.05 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$8.51$8.51 to $8.51
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$19.05$8.51 to $41.69

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $19 · 10th to 90th $9 to $79Professionalmedian $9 · 10th to 90th $9 to $39
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $19professional $9

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
$8.51
Median
$41.69
Typical High
$79.43
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.51
Median
$8.51
Typical High
$8.51
CareFirst
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$32.36
Median
$57.54
Typical High
$125.89
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$18.20
Median
$19.05
Typical High
$43.65
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.17
Median
$13.18
Typical High
$89.13
Kaiser Permanente
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$21.88
Median
$21.88
Typical High
$22.91
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.61
Median
$13.49
Typical High
$13.49
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$6.92
Typical High
$19.05

Where Washington, DC 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.

Washington, DC $8.51 · 51st 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.