Wiki Draw fee denials

[bdoske]

I am working in a Family Practice office and we have been getting denials for draws fees from a couple of different insurance companies. They are stating that the draw fee is bundled in the service. We draw the blood here and have it sent to an outside lab. I was wondering if any one else is running into this same thing lately.

 

[Claudia Yoakum-Watson]

This is fairly common. Many carriers do not separately reimburse the venipuncture when labs are performed. If you are providing only the venipunture and not billing for the lab tests, you might want to contact the carrier and let them know that you are only doing the draw and not billing for the lab, therefore the venipunture isn't "bundled'. Now having said that, some carrier just simple do not cover venipunture regardless of where the lab test is performed. Hope this is helpful.

 

[LBJ]

I agree w/ Claudia, some (more and more) carriers no longer reimburse the venipuncture when billed in conjunction with an E/M. I have several providers who have foregone doing any blood draws in the office and sending patients directly to the lab. There's a fine line between providing a "convenience" to the patient and staffing a phlebotomist for a service that is becoming less and less reimbursible.