One of the good things about National Healthcare Reform was to promote preventive services and annual routine testing/physicals. There are NO co-payments for these services. Regardless of the insurance carrier, this is a National Mandate.
On September 30th, I had my annual routine physical. My physician sent me to Quest Diagnostics for bloodwork. This past weekend I received a bill for just over $300 from Quest for those services. I telephoned my primary care physician to make sure the CODE for the bloodwork was correctly classified as ROUTINE services. They contacted Quest and then advised me to call my insurance carrier (Blue Cross). The burden was on me to resolve.
With many employers on traditional deductible plans, it is very important to review bills for accuracy. There are numerous billing and coding errors. We usually advise that before you pay any medical invoices, wait for the Explanation of Benefits from your insurance carrier. This usually explains the fee and how it will be reimbursed. It will also outline your responsibility.
More importantly, you need to shop out the costs for these various tests. Ask your physician who they use for their labwork? Prices vary and you need to use the most cost effective facility. We have found that Quest Diagnostics has the most competitive prices for blood/labwork.
Its interesting to see the actual costs, here is what my bill showed:
Cholesterol $ 34.00
Lipoprotein, Direct HDL 59.00
Triglycerides 38.00
CBC & Platelet Count 33.54
Venipuncture 19.00
UA, Complete automated 44.00
BMP (total calcium) 46.29
Total Invoice: $ 273.83
Note, this is for Lab services only, it does not include physician services.