go back

Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Louisiana 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?

$13.80

Typical negotiated rate. In Louisiana, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $13.80 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $12.59 from a physician practice, and about $15.49 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$12.59$9.55 to $14.45
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$15.49$13.49 to $29.51

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $15 · 10th to 90th $11 to $42Professionalmedian $13 · 10th to 90th $6 to $17
$2.0$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0facility $15professional $13

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
$12.02
Median
$15.14
Typical High
$41.69
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.51
Median
$13.49
Typical High
$22.91
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$12.30
Median
$21.38
Typical High
$35.48
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$9.33
Median
$12.30
Typical High
$16.98
Christus
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$39.81
Median
$39.81
Typical High
$39.81
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$12.30
Median
$31.62
Typical High
$69.18
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.25
Median
$7.59
Typical High
$13.18
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$13.80
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.47
Median
$5.13
Typical High
$15.85

Where Louisiana 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.

Louisiana $13.80 · 11th 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.