cost of labs

I had my yearly labs done a couple of weeks ago and I just got the EOB.  The bill for the standard set of bloodwork that my surgeon orders (which covers almost everything) was $1592.00.  My portion of it was just under $30, thank goodness.  (I have almost $2K to pay for my 4-day hospital stay two months back!)  The Vit D test is always the most expensive... this time it was almost $300! (I have no idea why that particular test is so expensive!)

Someone asked about lab costs a few weeks ago, but I cannot remember who, so I thought I would post this (and hopefully that person will see ot).

Lora

Holy Moley!     I never looked. We need to open our own lab.

Holy smokes. Thank goodness for insurance.

Perhaps now there will be some understanding as to why doctors don't want to order the full gamut of labs every 3 months on people that do not have any symptoms of deficiencies just because some people have government insurance that doesn't questions as much as insurance companies do!!!

Once a year for most tests for most people really is enough if you are otherwise healthy!

Yes, but you dont know if you have a deficiency until you have your labs done. I am one that gets my lab done every 3 months and lately due to seeing many different specialists, some of them are being done more often than that and thank goodness for that. In January my Creatinine was 1.0 which was pefectly normal. Then I saw one doctor who did a chemistry in February - I didnt know he did it, it was 1.2, then in March it was done again it was 1.4 - if these werent' done and I waited a year, I could be in kidney failure. I am now seeing a kidney specialist to see why this is happening.

they also found that my potassium was 5,0 when 1 month prior it was 3.4

I have to have my thyroid levels done every 3 months normally and then after a dose is changed - 6 weeks to make sure it is working - I have had my dosage changed 7 times in 3 1/2 years.

I am not going to list every one - but there are many things = a lot can happen in a year and you dont always get symptoms. other than severe fatigue for anemia and by time you get symptoms for B12 deficiency you are close to nerve damage. If you get symptoms for vitamin A deficiency, it has already affected your sight and can be really bad. You want to catch things when they are borderline or just a tad low so you can treat them not wait until they are in the danger zones which after a year can happen.

So, you can continue getting them at a year but I will continue getting them at 3 months or sooner to keep my levels being monitored properly - I dont ask for these, they just do them because they feel they need to be done. I dont go to my surgeon - these are done by my Endocrinologist, my hematologist and nephorlogist.


plus all female adults should have a comprehensive metabolic panel and CBC to check for anemia and kidney function, liver function, glucose levels. and electrolytes Most of us are on meds that affect our liver whether it be statins, PPI's, tylenol medications adn after WLS our livers are taxed, plus many meds affect the liver- my PCP says everyone should have liver function tests every 3 months. So many of us have trouble with our fluids and it is important to make sure we arent' dehydrated - a simple blood test cant hurt. I have also heard of a few people not getting labs done often enough and having serious heart arrythmias due to abnormal pottasium levels. This can happen early out and further out.

I don't think anyone would categorise you as "healthy"!

I wasn't saying it just for me - I gave examples with my labs.  All adults on any meds, especially PPI's, statins, tylenol products, anyone that drinks alcohol needs liver function tests every 3 months.  Drugs of all types affect the liver.  People on thyroid meds cant go a year without testing and that is almost the entire female adult population.

You choose to get yours yearly - you run the risk of problems, I have insurance that pays for my labs and i will keep getting them run as my doctors see fit and they see all other patients not just me

I don't know where I said I get my labs yearly ...

3 monthly for some, 6 monthly for others and yearly for the rest.   I have *some* conditions that are or are not related to WLS and they are checked 3 monthly as they should be - but apart from those things, I am a VERY healthy 50 year old woman who has no need to get EVERYTHING checked every three months!  

I don't have any thyroid difficulties so don't take meds "like the entire female population"  - wow, really??!  Now I feel really special LOL!

I do say thank goodness for insurance.  I feel I pay enough for my insurance, that I am going to get the best medical care I can get. Thank goodness, I have great coverage and dont have to pay anything but you are right the cost is crazy - and yes, vitamin D is out of hand and I don't know why.   I do know there is a special machine for it and maybe that is part of the reason.  My Endocrinologist does it in house.  She does most of my labs in house, a some of the more complex ones are  sent out like zinc, iron, ferritin, DHEA, selenium, B1, B2, B3, B6, vitamin E, Vitamin K and copper.

I never paid attention to the total cost, she tends to break them up sometimes into 2 separate draws so it isnt so much at time since she also does alot of endocrine and hormonal stuff too.  If it was all done at once, it would be like 20 tubes.

I'm with you on feeling fortunate to have great health insurance, and that the costs are crazy. Prior to Lora's post I would have made a guess that labs were around $200.