Are you watching your lab reports?

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

I have had an experience that I would like to share with you all,

and suggest you begin to watch your lab work. I have been living

with CML since 5-5-02. I began gleevec 6-11-02 and reached PCRU 3-17-

02 and have maintained that remission since. You all know the

standard operating procedures of weekly, monthly and yearly testing.

I had BMB,FISH and PCRs done periodically. I currently see my

Oncologist every 12 weeks with a PCR two weeks prior to my

appointment. I used LabCorp for two years until I couldn't stand

the incompetence with their techs, labs and offices. That is a

story that would take too long and too much space to write about,

but I will tell you, I ended up reporting them to the Department of

Health for the State of Arizona as well as my insurance company,

LabCorp headquarters and the Medical Society. I do believe the

office I used has been investigated.

I now go to Sonora Quest and I am beginning to think there are NO

labs that are without incompetence.

July 5 I had blood work done. They drew 4 tubes. My standard order

is always for CBC with DIF/PLT; CMP; LDH; and at the bottom by the

Leukemia/Lymphoma panel, he writes PCR: BCR/ABL. When I got the

copies of the results, I saw the usual results for the basic blood

work and a FISH result instead of PCR, along with a HEPTIMAX test.

I had never had that one and wondered what it was for. Well, good

old Google revealed it was for Hepatitis C. There was no PCR. None

of these tests were available for my ONC when I visited him on the

12th. So they mailed me a copy that I received in the mail

yesterday. It was then I discovered that I had a FISH instead of

PCR, and the test for hepatitis. I called my doctor to ask why he

ordered the HEPTIMAX. Well, he didn't. His nurse is currently

checking into Sonora Quest to see what happened and why. I will

pursue it and see to it that my insurance does not pay for that

test.

My concern, is that we already struggle with our medical coverage,

co-pays and restrictions on our coverage. Having CML taxes our

benefits in a number of ways. Those of us lucky enough to have

insurance coverage already have large monthly bills for drugs ( My

gleevec costs my insurance $2700 a month and my two week attempt to

collect stem cells was $28,000)). I advocate for my insurance

company as well as myself and do not want them to pay for things I

did not have. ( Once when I was at City of Hope for stem cell

collection, my itemized bill had a $800 chemo treatment on it????

The code was one digit off of the actual test/procedure they did

for me). I am one of the lucky ones who does not have a 'cap' on

my insurance. Many of you do have a cap. If we don't watch what

is done and charged to our insurances, labs and doctors get free

reign on what they charge us for. In this case, I am furious that

they did not do the prescribed test for PCR and that they did a test

that was NOT ordered. I wonder how many people check these things

regularly?

Thanks for letting me vent.

Barb in AZ.