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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Utah 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?

$12.02

Typical negotiated rate. In Utah, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $12.02 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $10.72 from a physician practice, and about $51.29 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$10.72$8.71 to $12.88
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$51.29$14.45 to $77.62

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $51 · 10th to 90th $13 to $100Professionalmedian $11 · 10th to 90th $8 to $14
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $51professional $11

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
$14.45
Median
$77.62
Typical High
$100.00
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.32
Median
$10.72
Typical High
$14.45
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$9.77
Median
$11.75
Typical High
$30.90
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.50
Median
$7.76
Typical High
$21.88
Regence BlueShield
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$12.88
Median
$12.88
Typical High
$51.29
Regence BlueShield
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.76
Median
$9.55
Typical High
$10.23
Select Health
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.94
Median
$7.94
Typical High
$7.94
Select Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.94
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$14.79
U of Utah Health Plan
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$10.00
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$16.98
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.62
Median
$7.41
Typical High
$44.67
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$4.79
Median
$6.61
Typical High
$15.85

Where Utah 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.

Utah $12.02 · 24th 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.