Newborn Screening Cost

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 35 conditions. 

Cost of Newborn Screening

The newborn screening fee is $139.12 per infant (previously $135.10).

This fee includes:

  • $135.10 for laboratory testing and all related follow-up services.
  • $8.40 to support specialty care clinics that treat children diagnosed through screening.

The $4.02 increase effective January 1, 2026 supports:

  • Expanded testing for Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency, Guanidinoacetate Mathyltransferase (GAMT) Deficiency, and Arginase 1 (ARG1) Deficiency.
  • A state-funded courier service for first screening specimens.

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, contact the Newborn Screening Program.

NOTE: For specimens collected in a home setting, DOH will bill the client’s insurance directly when the specimen is accompanied by the insurance information. Insurance information should be submitted with the infant’s first newborn screening specimen by completing the Payment Form, which is available online at Payment Form for Infant's First Newborn Screen. Midwives submitting newborn screening specimens collected in a home setting should ensure they have been assigned an individual “M” code to use as the Submitter ID on the specimen cards. If you are unsure of your Submitter ID, please refer to our ID# Directories page to confirm your submitter ID.

The midwife is responsible for providing accurate and complete billing information with the initial specimen. DOH will notify the midwife if billing information is incorrect or missing.

When a patient is uninsured (“cash pay” or “self-pay”), please include a check or money order from the parents or guardian for full payment of $139.12 with the initial specimen. Checks should be made payable to Washington State Department of Health. Cash is not accepted.

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: