The Washington State Newborn Screening Program charges a fee to test each infant for the disorders on the State newborn screening panel. Infants are currently screened for 32 conditions.
Cost of Newborn Screening
- The fee for screening is $119.30 per infant (last modified on August 7, 2020). Previous fee was $115.
- The screening fee is comprised of two components:
- The laboratory testing fee of $110.90 covers all laboratory testing and follow-up services (last modified on August 7, 2020).
- An additional $8.40 is collected to support the specialty care clinics that provide treatment for children diagnosed with the rare conditions identified through screening
- This one-time fee to the Department of Health covers all newborn screens an infant receives in Washington State
- There are no additional charges by the Department of Health for routine second screens or any additional repeat screens needed. However, the medical facility collecting a newborn screen may charge their own fee(s) for collecting, processing, and/or sending the specimen.
Payment for Screening
- The Department of Health bills the screening fee to the facility that collected the infant’s initial specimen
- This facility is typically the hospital where the infant was born, but may also be the hospital of transfer, or a clinic, laboratory, or birth center
- Facilities that collect the specimen are usually able to recover the fee through insurance or patient billing
- If your facility receives a newborn screening bill and you have questions, please contact the Newborn Screening Program
NOTE: When an infant’s initial newborn screening specimen is collected by a midwife in the family’s residence, specialized payment rules apply. Additional information can be found in the letter to midwives detailing the billing policy for infants born outside of a hospital.
Other Services
The Newborn Screening Program also provides additional services. Each of these is also supported by a fee or charge to cover costs associated with the activity: