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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 July 2026.

How much does Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes cost?

$19.50

Typical negotiated rate. In Vermont, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $19.50 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $19.50 from a physician practice, and about $87.10 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$19.50$17.78 to $19.50
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$87.10$11.22 to $191

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $87 · 10th to 90th $4 to $200Professionalmedian $19 · 10th to 90th $10 to $19
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0$200.0facility $87professional $19

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. 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
Global
Typical Low
$19.50
Median
$19.50
Typical High
$19.50
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$87.10
Median
$87.10
Typical High
$199.53
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$19.05
Median
$19.05
Typical High
$19.05
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.13
Median
$15.49
Typical High
$17.78
MVP Health Care
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$11.22
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$11.22
MVP Health Care
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$9.12
Median
$9.12
Typical High
$9.12
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.98
Median
$3.98
Typical High
$3.98
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.13
Median
$14.13
Typical High
$30.90

Where Vermont 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.

Vermont $19.50 · 2nd 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.