CPT 87207: Slide Analysis for Inclusion Bodies
Medicare pays $18 and commercial payers pay $32 on average nationally for this procedure.
CPT code 87207 describes a technical laboratory procedure in which a lab analyst examines a primary-source specimen prepared on a slide to detect and analyze intracellular inclusion bodies; service type: microscopic slide analysis / parasitology/virology cytology, typical site of service: clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory.
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National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Across national payers, Medicare’s mean rate of $18.2 sits below BUCA’s average commercial mean of $31.7, indicating that BUCA reimburses substantially higher on average for CPT 87207 than Medicare. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s mean of $46.5 and Cigna’s mean of $17.1 further highlight commercial variability, with BCBS above BUCA and Cigna closer to Medicare. UnitedHealth Group ($9.0) and Aetna ($9.8) cluster lower among commercial payers, producing a broad span of typical commercial reimbursements around the Medicare baseline.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile range (P75–P25) is widest for Blue Cross Blue Shield at $33.9 and relatively wide for BUCA at $22.3, signaling considerable variability in commercially negotiated rates. The tightest spreads are Medicare at $1.0 (P75–P25 = $1) and UnitedHealth Group at $7.8, with Aetna ($9.6) and Cigna ($14.7) in between. This suggests some payers deliver consistent rates around their medians while others have much broader negotiated ranges.