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Special Stain Smear Exam For Germs

North Dakota rates for HCPCS 87206

A sample from the body is spread on a slide and treated with a special fluorescent or acid-fast stain, then examined under a microscope to look for certain bacteria, fungi, or parasites that are hard to see with routine staining, including the type of bacteria that causes tuberculosis. A specialist reports back on what, if anything, is seen. It gives a fast, same-day clue about a possible infection while slower culture results are still pending.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Special Stain Smear Exam For Germs cost?

$8.13

Typical negotiated rate. In North Dakota, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $8.13 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $7.94 from a physician practice, and about $42.66 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$7.94$5.13 to $10.96
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$42.66$5.13 to $64.57

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $43 · 10th to 90th $4 to $126Professionalmedian $8 · 10th to 90th $4 to $12
$5$10$20$50$100facility $43professional $8

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
$3.80
Median
$42.66
Typical High
$125.89
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.80
Median
$5.13
Typical High
$16.22
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$7.94
Median
$10.47
Typical High
$12.30
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$6.17
Median
$6.17
Typical High
$7.94
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.80
Median
$8.13
Typical High
$31.62
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.63
Median
$3.80
Typical High
$9.33
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$33.11
Median
$33.11
Typical High
$33.11
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2.63
Median
$5.62
Typical High
$8.71

Where North Dakota sits

The same service costs 12.0 times more in West Virginia 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.

North Dakota· 21st of 51

$8.13

WV $60.26KY $5.01

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.