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When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
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Medicare & Insurance
When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
Share Medicare dos and don’ts, including eligibility and supplemental insurance.
My father had one prescription for 2 different blood tests. When we got to the lab (Quest) he was told one of the tests was not covered by Medicare and it would be $215, UP FRONT. They do
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Cat:91a4afbf-9555-4e02-b9d3-9eef604476f6Forum:c79f53c3-fa71-4e76-b517-aef042efd7ff
Cat:91a4afbf-9555-4e02-b9d3-9eef604476f6Forum:c79f53c3-fa71-4e76-b517-aef042efd7ffDiscussion:befd14f4-8df0-4434-a1ff-e63960708fd0
Forums » Health » Medicare & Insurance » When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
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When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
posted at October 4, 2011 1:33 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: October 4, 2011 Last: October 4, 2011 |
My father had one prescription for 2 different blood tests. When we got to the lab (Quest) he was told one of the tests was not covered by Medicare and it would be $215, UP FRONT. They do not bill secondary insurance. I advised them he was only going to have the blood test covered by Medicare, and made me sign a form saying he was not having the 2nd blood test, by his choice. Then, he was required to sign the customary form saying he would be responsible for charges not covered by Medicare. I did not ask for the prescription back, to cross off the 2nd blood test. As you guessed it. Quest performed the 2nd test and is now billing my father for the $215. I am so angry, but have no recourse. |
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Re: When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
posted at October 5, 2011 12:42 PM EDT
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Posts: 2
First: September 28, 2011 Last: October 5, 2011 |
In Response to When having lab work, be careful what you sign!: My father had one prescription for 2 different blood tests. When we got to the lab (Quest) he was told one of the tests was not covered by Medicare and it would be $215, UP FRONT. They do not bill secondary insurance. I advised them he was only going to have the blood test covered by Medicare, and made me sign a form saying he was not having the 2nd blood test, by his choice. Then, he was required to sign the customary form saying he would be responsible for charges not covered by Medicare. I did not ask for the prescription back, to cross off the 2nd blood test. As you guessed it. Quest performed the 2nd test and is now billing my father for the $215. I am so angry, but have no recourse. Posted by jih6554 I worked in a doctor's office for 26 years. The last 6 years of that was in medical transcription, so I may be a little rusty on some of the rules, but I believe that in order to bill your father for that lab test, he would have to have signed what is called an Advanced Beneficiary Notice ((ABN). This states that they believe that Medicare will not pay for this and why. It further states that if Medicare does not pay, he will be responsible for the charges. He should sign this in advance of any services being given. It sounds to me like you did not give permission for this service to be performed and therefore did not agree to pay. This is something you might check on with Medicare. It also seems to me that the lab tech should have known in advance that she was only drawing for on lab test and not both tests on the prescription. If this this doesn't work out, the lab should be able to give you a form that you could use to file his secondary insurance. Most secondaries don't pay unless Medicare pays, but I think it would be worth a try. GOOD LUCK!! |
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Re: When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
posted at October 7, 2011 3:46 PM EDT
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Posts: 14717
First: January 28, 2008 Last: June 17, 2013 |
In Response to When having lab work, be careful what you sign!: My father had one prescription for 2 different blood tests. When we got to the lab (Quest) he was told one of the tests was not covered by Medicare and it would be $215, UP FRONT. They do not bill secondary insurance. I advised them he was only going to have the blood test covered by Medicare, and made me sign a form saying he was not having the 2nd blood test, by his choice. Then, he was required to sign the customary form saying he would be responsible for charges not covered by Medicare. I did not ask for the prescription back, to cross off the 2nd blood test. As you guessed it. Quest performed the 2nd test and is now billing my father for the $215. I am so angry, but have no recourse. Posted by jih6554 It seems that the lab made a mistake in not changing the order form as you requested before giving it to the tech. I'd go after the lab through every layer of supervision. It may take a lot of effort and time, but many times it works. Karl |
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Re: When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
posted at October 21, 2011 9:00 AM EDT
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Posts: 12549
First: February 29, 2008 Last: June 16, 2013 |
In Response to When having lab work, be careful what you sign!: My father had one prescription for 2 different blood tests. When we got to the lab (Quest) he was told one of the tests was not covered by Medicare and it would be $215, UP FRONT. They do not bill secondary insurance. I advised them he was only going to have the blood test covered by Medicare, and made me sign a form saying he was not having the 2nd blood test, by his choice. Then, he was required to sign the customary form saying he would be responsible for charges not covered by Medicare. I did not ask for the prescription back, to cross off the 2nd blood test. As you guessed it. Quest performed the 2nd test and is now billing my father for the $215. I am so angry, but have no recourse. Posted by jih6554 THE last couple times I had a LAB TEST which my HMO pays for all .... I had to give them my credit card. and sign a paper that I would be liable. ( I suppose just in case) .But before I go in to have blood drawn....the gal inputs info into the computer from the prescription the doctor has written. with me standing there. That way....I could ask for a item to be eliminated. It's strange where you went they don't have a computerized system. |
Forums » Health » Medicare & Insurance » When having lab work, be careful what you sign!
