go back

Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Tennessee 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?

$8.71

Typical negotiated rate. In Tennessee, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $8.71 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $8.51 from a physician practice, and about $17.38 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$8.51$8.51 to $8.91
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$17.38$10.00 to $40.74

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $17 · 10th to 90th $9 to $49Professionalmedian $9 · 10th to 90th $6 to $12
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $17professional $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
$8.51
Median
$17.38
Typical High
$48.98
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.51
Median
$8.51
Typical High
$10.72
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.31
Median
$6.31
Typical High
$12.59
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.51
Median
$23.99
Typical High
$46.77
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.25
Median
$8.71
Typical High
$16.98
Lucent Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$70.79
Median
$70.79
Typical High
$100.00
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$11.22
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.24
Median
$4.79
Typical High
$15.85

Where Tennessee 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.

Tennessee $8.71 · 49th 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.