[Histonet] Billing 88342

[Jay Lundgren]

     I am neither a lawyer nor a health care administrator, but, in my
experience, the Pathologist picks the (hopefully) most diagnostic blocks
from the multiblock cases and submits them for IHC.  If you do the
requested IHC on, say, 4 blocks out of 30, you charge x4 for the technical
fee.  After all, you are using 4 times the supplies (buffer, antibody,
etc.).
     Before you hit the cash paying patient with a bill, their primary care
provider should warn them what it's going to cost.
     I have seen a good Pathologist only select one block for IHC when the
clinician previously informed him that the patient had no insurance and was
paying out of pocket.
     I think it's interesting that people control *their own* health care
costs when no insurance company or the government is involved.

                                           Sincerely,

                                                 Jay A. Lundgren, M.S., HTL
(ASCP)

On Tue, Jul 3, 2012 at 11:43 AM, Victor A. Tobias <vtobias <@t> uw.edu> wrote:

> Looking for other opinions from those who do consult/referral work.
>
> If a client sends in a request for a single antibody done on multiple
> blocks on a single specimen, do you bill the client for each tech component
> ? The client will do the interpretation.
>
> What happens in the above scenario if the request is to bill the patient?
> Knowing you get reimbursed for one, do you eat the other charges are make
> the client select the one block?
>
> We have run numbers on potential lost revenue and the number is
> significant.
>
> Victor
>
>
> Victor Tobias HT(ASCP)
> Clinical Applications Analyst
> Harborview Medical Center
> Dept of Pathology Room NJB244
> Seattle, WA 98104
> vtobias <@t> u.washington.edu<mailto:vtobias <@t> u.washington.edu>
> 206-744-2735
> 206-744-8240 Fax
> =================================================
> Privileged, confidential or patient identifiable information may be
> contained in this message. This information is meant only for the use of
> the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, or if the
> message has been addressed to you in error, do not read, disclose,
> reproduce, distribute, disseminate or otherwise use this
> transmission. Instead, please notify the sender by reply e-mail, and then
> destroy all copies of the message and any attachments.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Histonet mailing list
> Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
>