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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Iowa 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?

$13.49

Typical negotiated rate. In Iowa, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $13.49 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $11.22 from a physician practice, and about $19.95 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 7 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$11.22$8.71 to $27.54
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$19.95$11.22 to $29.51

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $20 · 10th to 90th $9 to $33Professionalmedian $11 · 10th to 90th $7 to $74
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $20professional $11

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
$8.71
Median
$26.92
Typical High
$33.11
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.41
Median
$8.71
Typical High
$74.13
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$13.80
Median
$21.88
Typical High
$27.54
Hally Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$11.22
Median
$27.54
Typical High
$64.57
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$11.22
Median
$14.79
Typical High
$35.48
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.76
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$29.51
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$13.80
Median
$13.80
Typical High
$14.79
Midlands
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$13.80
Median
$13.80
Typical High
$13.80
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$11.22
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$25.12
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.76
Median
$9.55
Typical High
$28.84
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.91
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$11.22

Where Iowa 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.

Iowa $13.49 · 13th 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.