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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

North Carolina 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?

$9.12

Typical negotiated rate. In North Carolina, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $9.12 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $9.12 from a physician practice, and about $12.30 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 6 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$9.12$9.12 to $10.00
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$12.30$9.77 to $24.55

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $12 · 10th to 90th $8 to $38Professionalmedian $9 · 10th to 90th $8 to $15
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $12professional $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
$9.12
Median
$10.96
Typical High
$35.48
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.91
Median
$9.12
Typical High
$14.79
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$19.05
Median
$23.99
Typical High
$39.81
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.51
Median
$10.23
Typical High
$10.23
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.76
Median
$21.88
Typical High
$51.29
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.89
Median
$7.94
Typical High
$16.98
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.24
Median
$7.24
Typical High
$21.38
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.03
Median
$12.30
Typical High
$21.88
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$9.12
Median
$26.92
Typical High
$30.20
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.62
Median
$14.79
Typical High
$19.95
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$7.94
Typical High
$15.85
Wellcare
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$70.79
Median
$70.79
Typical High
$100.00

Where North Carolina 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.

North Carolina $9.12 · 47th 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.