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CharleyL · 07-31-2022, 05:50 PM

How do you get blood tests ordered by home MD while full timing to other states?

pasdad1 · 07-31-2022, 07:53 PM

Easy. Done it several times already. Go to Quest Diagnostics (or another lab your insurance pays for) they have them in all medium to large cities.

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computerguy · 07-31-2022, 08:04 PM

If you want your insurance to pay it can be tricky. My plan requires a local dr. to write the script for it. If my home state dr. writes it they will not pay it. So I head to an urgent care for them to write it and then it is covered.

RMD3819 · 08-02-2022, 01:38 PM

If LabCorp or Quest are on your plan then have the MD fax the orders directly to their office.

Get the fax number from the website and give to the MD office.

pasdad1 · 08-02-2022, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMD3819

If LabCorp or Quest are on your plan then have the MD fax the orders directly to their office.

Get the fax number from the website and give to the MD office.

I have found with quest it doesn’t matter which office gets the orders, I can just show up to the closest one (even in different state) and they have it in their computer.

computerguy · 08-02-2022, 04:28 PM

Just to reiterate it, check with your plan. I have a PPO plan with Floridablue. Yep, I am covered all over the US.

BUT
the dr. ordering the tests has to be in the state where the blood test is being taken.
Happened to me last year and no one told me that. I even called Floridablue for an in network lab for the blood test to be done. It was Labcorp in SD. I went and all went smoothly UNTIL Floridablue denied the claim because the lab was ordered by my primary care physician in Florida. Labcorp tried to collect from me almost $700.
I fought with Floridablue for over 6 months and finally told them to listen to the recorded line phone call when I asked for an in network provider to do the lab work. I won the appeal but it was stress and time I didn't need in my life.
Hope this helps others not get in a similar situation.

Psneeld · 08-02-2022, 05:16 PM

When you travel a lot in an RV....yes, your health plan can have some significant impacts on you.

Make SURE you plan ahead and get a health plan that accommodates things like this. I have had zero issues with pharmacy, lab work, radiology, emergency visits because of the plans I selected.

They can cost more, but in the long run, if you plan to travel..... if makes life simpler.

So far I have had no issues with out of state DRs ordering tests and having them done in different states. Neither have my last 2 traveling companions. But yes...check with your insurer and switch if they are an issue.

twogypsies · 08-02-2022, 06:11 PM

We have Medicare and a supplement and never had issues getting lab work done as we traveled and it being covered.

oatmeal · 08-09-2022, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by computerguy

I fought with Floridablue for over 6 months and finally told them to listen to the recorded line phone call when I asked for an in network provider to do the lab work. I won the appeal but it was stress and time I didn't need in my life.

Was this a Florida Blue Select plan or a Florida Blue Options plan? When I compared the two types a few years ago, I came away with the impression that one of the ways Select plans were inferior to Options plans (and therefore cheaper) was in the way labwork was covered.

If you had a Select plan, then your issues might be a function of that, and might not apply to Options plans. But if you had an Options plan, then it will likely affect both Options and Select plans, and would definitely be something to be aware of for all Florida Blue EPO plan subscribers.

computerguy · 08-09-2022, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oatmeal

Was this a Florida Blue Select plan or a Florida Blue Options plan? When I compared the two types a few years ago, I came away with the impression that one of the ways Select plans were inferior to Options plans (and therefore cheaper) was in the way labwork was covered.

If you had a Select plan, then your issues might be a function of that, and might not apply to Options plans. But if you had an Options plan, then it will likely affect both Options and Select plans, and would definitely be something to be aware of for all Florida Blue EPO plan subscribers.

Yes it was Select. But the workaround (and I just did it) was to go to an urgent care and have them request the labs. Worked fine and fully covered.