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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

South Dakota 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?

$16.98

Typical negotiated rate. In South Dakota, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $16.98 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $13.18 from a physician practice, and about $21.88 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$13.18$8.71 to $26.30
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$21.88$20.89 to $21.88

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $22 · 10th to 90th $13 to $22Professionalmedian $13 · 10th to 90th $7 to $30
$2.0$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $22professional $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
$7.94
Median
$12.88
Typical High
$12.88
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.59
Median
$8.71
Typical High
$10.72
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$21.88
Median
$21.88
Typical High
$21.88
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$13.18
Median
$21.88
Typical High
$27.54
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$10.72
Median
$17.38
Typical High
$42.66
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.23
Median
$4.79
Typical High
$11.22
Sanford Health Plan
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$26.30
Typical High
$30.90
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$13.49
Median
$13.49
Typical High
$13.49
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1.23
Median
$7.94
Typical High
$15.85
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$11.22
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$11.22

Where South Dakota 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.

South Dakota $16.98 · 7th 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.