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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

Vermont 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 October 2026.

How much does Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes cost?

$15.85

Typical negotiated rate. In Vermont, October 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $15.85 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $14.13 from a physician practice, and about $87.10 from a hospital or other facility.

Few insurers publish rates for this combination, so treat this figure as a rough guide.

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.

Prices by location type

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$14.13$9.12 to $19.50
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$87.10$19.05 to $191

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $87 · 10th to 90th $11 to $200Professionalmedian $14 · 10th to 90th $7 to $19
$5$10$20$50$100$200facility $87professional $14

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Small sample; interpret with caution. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$19.50
Median
$19.50
Typical High
$19.50
BCBS Vermont
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$87.10
Median
$190.55
Typical High
$199.53
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$19.05
Median
$19.05
Typical High
$19.05
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$7.94
Median
$15.49
Typical High
$19.50
MVP Health Care
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$11.22
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$11.22
MVP Health Care
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$9.12
Median
$9.12
Typical High
$9.12
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$5.13
Median
$10.00
Typical High
$25.12

Where Vermont sits

The same service costs 3.5 times more in Alaska than in Kentucky. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Vermont· 10th of 51

$15.85

AK $25.70KY $7.24

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.