Patient FAQs

Although you may not have physically visited a Pathology Laboratory location, your physician may have sent your specimen out to The Pathology Laboratory for testing/analysis. The invoice you received from us is for lab testing fees only and is separate from any bill you may have received from your physician and/or paid at your physician’s office.

If you had a surgical procedure/biopsy done through a hospital, your specimen may have been sent to The Pathology as well, and our bill is for testing/analysis done. Again, this bill is separate from any other bill you received from other providers.

• Insurance information was not received, or the wrong insurance information was received on/with your test order.
• The insurance carrier processed the claim and denied payment.
• The insurance carrier processed the claim and applied the balance to your co-pay or deductible, or other out of pocket responsibility.
• The insurance carrier did not respond to the claim.

Note: Please refer to your Explanation of Benefits you received from your insurance carrier for more specific information about why you received an invoice.

The policyholder is responsible for payment of co-insurance, co-payments and/or deductibles incurred for covered services provided to you as a covered dependent. If the invoice is addressed to your spouse, it is likely your spouse is the insurance policyholder.

The Pathology Laboratory obtains diagnosis information from the ordering physician’s office. If your insurance carrier denied your claim due to the diagnosis code, please contact your physician’s office.

When patients come to The Pathology Laboratory for the drawing of a specimen, and the labs are sent to one of our reference labs, a draw fee is charged.  Insurance may cover this fee for many of our patients.  However, patients whose insurance does not cover the draw fee and uninsured patients are responsible for the payment of the draw fee.

Once your account is past due, and we have made several attempts to contact you for payment, the account is sent to a collection agency. This account then becomes the responsibility of the collection agency to collect; you can pay directly to the collection agency or to The Pathology Laboratory. The collection agency is Lake Area Collections and can be reached at 337-494-7475.

Credit/debit card, all major credit cards, HSA Card, money order, personal/business check, check by phone, or online bill pay through your bank. (There will be a $25.00 processing fee for all checks returned for insufficient funds.)

Our billing system generates transactional specific invoices. Each transaction generates a new invoice number. Your invoice should include your account number as the primary number, which should be included with/on your payment method. If there are two numbers separated by a dash, please include both numbers, as the second number is the invoice number associated with those specific charges.

Individual insurance coverage plans typically change on an annual basis. It is important to provide your most current insurance policy information at each visit to ensure proper billing. In addition, it is best not to assume an individual’s coverage is currently active, as changes occur that may cause lapses in coverage or the cancellation/termination of such coverage.

No, The Pathology Laboratory does not know each individual patient’s insurance coverage details. It is the patient’s responsibility to verify benefits before services are performed. Any questions regarding coverage should be directed to your insurance carrier.

An Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) is a form, requiring the patient’s signature, to perform laboratory testing in the event Medicare is not expected to cover certain tests. If the patient chooses to have these tests performed, his or her signature gives The Pathology Laboratory permission to move forward with testing. In addition, the patient is assuming responsibility of payment for non-covered charges.

It is important to note that your doctor orders testing on his or her patients for medicinal purposes, and because Medicare does not cover a particular item or service does not mean you should not receive it. Talk with your doctor for more information on tests Medicare does not cover.