Infographic: Functional Medicine

Labs

~ Labs serve as a means to see the total picture of your physiological health. ~

At ASKDRSKIP.COM, PLLC, we strive to make your health care experience the best it can possibly be, restoring you to complete wellness with true integrative care.  In order to do that, Dr. Skip, O.M.D., must have the proper tools available to properly determine the right course of action and the proper therapies to deploy. For this reason, Dr. Skip often requests that his patients undergo laboratory testing to get a more complete picture of a client’s health.

These functional labs might include any or all of the following:

See the linked pages for more information on any of the above testing.

Out of Pocket Lab Cost:

Lab prices are set so we are able to run ample tests affordably and cover operational costs of having the accounts, and Dr. Skip’s expertise in functional endocrinology to evaluate results, while not emptying your pockets unnecessarily or price gouging. This enables us to run expansive blood panels that get to the root of any heath issue as fast as possible.  Please view our Services Page for details.

We do not want to dismiss anyone’s concern regarding the potential costs of laboratory testing. They can be costly and sometimes retests are necessary. But when there is something chronically wrong and the body is in a state of stress, Dr. Skip wants to leave no stone unturned in searching for the cause of the problem.  We feel, and you may agree, that it is less costly in the long run to order a complete set of lab tests at the outset if this allows Dr. Skip to deploy proper therapies in a timely manner. Better to gather full data and attack the problem head-on, than to do piecemeal testing and throw darts, hoping the remedy will hit the target sooner rather than later.

With that said, the appointment option below is an extended appointment for you and Dr. Skip to discuss your full medical history and determine what testing may be done.  This is often for complex issues that may be chronic in nature and have gone on for years.  However, if what you are looking for is a more quality of life / palliative appointment we do that too.  Learn more (click).

We do not bill insurance for labs, but can provide you a list of tests for your PCP, however, we yet to find a PCP that can request the extensive labs we require for a functional assessment to be covered by insurance or that can match the discounted pricing of labs we provide to our patients. You can always request a ‘No Strings Attached’ estimate from your provider that must fall within $400 out of pocket or you may dispute that charge.

If you wish to order your labs through an in-network lab that will bill your insurance company, and you have a high deductible, beware.  Recently, a client of ours ran a panel of blood tests (very similar to those we order in our functional endocrinology labs test) with their local provider. They billed her insurance company over $3,000 for a panel that costs our clients a fraction of that cost when paid without insurance.  If this happens to you and you have not met your deductible, you may end up spending way more.  You can always request a ‘No Strings Attached’ estimate from your provider that must fall within $400 out of pocket or you may dispute that charge.

When you use insurance, the insurance company may decide that a lab test, therapy or procedure is not necessary regardless of what the doctor wants or feels is most beneficial for your health.  If this happens, the insurance company may require additional documentation from your doctor to verify the medical necessity of the lab test. If the insurance company feels this additional information still does not prove medical necessity, they may deny coverage for part or all of the labs.  This will mean that you are responsible for the retail price of the denied services.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know what they will cover until you submit the charges. And by this time, you have already agreed to pay the lab whatever portion of their charges are not covered by insurance.  You may decide that it is less troublesome and costly in the long run to use our lab, at our low negotiated rates (forgoing possible insurance reimbursement) than to go through your insurance company and roll the dice.

Dr. Skip, O.M.D. evaluates all lab tests for informational purposes only, with no implication of diagnosis of any disease whatsoever. Dr. Skip will not suggest that you discontinue any medications or therapies that were recommended by a medical provider.

Ready to learn more about our different services and pricing?

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