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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Ohio 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?

$10.72

Typical negotiated rate. In Ohio, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $10.72 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $9.12 from a physician practice, and about $15.85 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 8 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$6.46 to $11.22
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$15.85$11.22 to $25.12

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $16 · 10th to 90th $9 to $37Professionalmedian $9 · 10th to 90th $6 to $26
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $16professional $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
$20.42
Typical High
$37.15
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$9.12
Median
$9.55
Typical High
$37.15
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$10.47
Median
$12.02
Typical High
$20.89
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.62
Median
$6.76
Typical High
$14.45
CareSource
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.71
Median
$8.71
Typical High
$12.88
CareSource
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$15.14
Median
$15.14
Typical High
$15.14
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.41
Median
$14.79
Typical High
$45.71
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.75
Median
$7.41
Typical High
$21.88
Medical Mutual of Ohio
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.41
Median
$14.79
Typical High
$45.71
Medical Mutual of Ohio
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.75
Median
$7.41
Typical High
$21.38
Molina
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.17
Median
$10.72
Typical High
$14.13
SummaCare
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.41
Median
$11.75
Typical High
$22.39
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$16.98
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$6.76
Typical High
$15.85

Where Ohio 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.

Ohio $10.72 · 35th 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.