If you’re not squeamish about needles, getting your blood drawn is a pretty seamless procedure.
You go into your doctor’s office, the doctor takes what they need, and then you’re free to go on your merry way. On a good day, you’re in and out in a matter of minutes!
But what happens when, weeks later, you get a bill in the mail for a routine blood draw that’s a lot higher than you anticipated?
The process of getting your blood drawn may seem easy, but it’s the behind-the-scenes action that you must pay attention to.
Before you have your blood drawn, you need to know these two things:
- Ask your doctor, will you send my blood out to a private lab? You need to know this because if they do send your blood out to a private lab, there may be a separate bill and extra charges you’re not aware of. The lab might even be out of your network! Always ask the name of the lab so you can find out if it’s in or out of your health network.
- Ask your doctor, will my blood be transported to a different facility, and will I be charged for that? Recently, a lot of local hospitals have been hiring outside vendors and transferring blood to these vendors using medical vehicles to larger city hospitals. Depending on the circumstance, you may be charged for that transportation, or the cost may be higher if the vendor is out of network.
Bottomline: always make sure you’re aware of where your blood is going after the blood draw so that you can be prepared financially!
If you have any questions or concerns about this, give Clevenger Insurance a call today at 574-267-2181
