urine equals liquid gold

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Another case of self referral.

"Sunset Labs is part of a network of pain clinics and other medical businesses founded by Houston anesthesiologist Phillip C. Phan, according to Texas secretary of state filings and court records. Court records say Phan's companies also own the facility where Moreno had her operation."

An Out-Of-Network Lab, An Elaborate Urine Test And Then A Surprise Bill

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[y2k_free_radical]

In our area the newest hot fad is cyp or cytochrome 450 testing for drug metabolism with the testing companies using hospitals who have contracts with the insurers to bill for the tests for a portion of the charge.Such testing sounds good on surface but the patients response to a drug is multifactorial-test cost $2,500-$4,500

 

[yaah]

This reflects so poorly on the lab industry. I hate stories like this. It's also a setup for payors to markedly ramp down reimbursement for tests like this and related tests which could impact legitimate labs. I really think payors need to do a better job at more quickly identifying tests or practices that are designed to game a system and extort excessive cash out of the system. Unfortunatley I worry the current regulatory environment may be trending in the wrong direction.