They threw it away!!!

Last week I got a call from my doc's office telling me that a lab had screwed up a blood draw and tested for the wrong thing, so I had to go back in and get more blood drawn. Fine. I did it. While I was there, the lab person couldn't wrap her finger around that fact that I (or my insurance) wasn't going to pay for it, given that it was a lab screw-up. Finally, after a 15 minute call to Lab Corp home office (or wherever), they gave her instructions to put "self-pay" on the computer and then when it printed off, she was to scratch that part out and manually write "no charge" or something like that. So, today I get a call from my doc's office. The lab didn't understand the reason there was "no charge" and didn't feel it appropriate to run my test, as they weren't going to get paid for it so they threw my blood away. They didn't call me for clarification. They didn't call my doctor for clarification. They just threw it away. I was SOOOOOO mad that I cursed at the poor nurse who was relaying this information to me. She kept saying "I know you don't want to have to get stuck again". I said, "That's not the point...I need my *(&#$% medicine and my health is declining because of this negligence" So, I filed a complaint with my insurance company (as they're in contract with Lab Corp) and had them document my entire ordeal. They okay'd me to go to another lab, so hopefully, I should have my meds by the end of the week. Fortunately, I had the day off to take care of this, as I had two other appts today (ob/gyn & mammogram). Geez...with all the poking & prodding & squishing, I feel so violated! Cathy

That is just negligent on the part of the entire company. Seems as if there should be some legal recourse against them.

I wondered if there would be legal recourse. I, of course, don't have money for an attorney, so I wouldn't know where to start. Seems as though someone was negligent at the lab, though...especially since I can't start my treatment until this bloodwork comes back. Cathy

You should also call Lab Core directly to complain. The person who threw your blood away without checking needs to face some consequences. I have had the lab run the wrong test before but they always fixed it without charge--and two of the three times they actually had enough "leftover" blood so that I didn't need to be restuck.

...that's the irony of this. At my second blood draw, they DID draw extra, just in case the wrong test was run again. But, they threw it all away...even the extra. It's so ridiculously surreal, how screwed up this has been. I just can't fathom the incompetence of the entire ordeal. Cathy

I have never heard of such crap! I know the lab in the hospital where I work does what they can to fix such issues and as far as I know would never just toss someone's blood!

In the business we stared calling Lab Corp.....Lab Crap....another inept vendor service