A $17,850 Urine Test: Industry Boom Amid Opioid Epidemic
After Elizabeth Moreno’s back surgery in 2015, she was prescribed an opioid painkiller, but was then charged with a bill for $17,850. Her bill shows that Sunset Labs charged $4675 to check her urine for opioids, and later added $1275 more for drug tests. Pain doctors agree that extensive urine testing is "the best course of action" and that a lab "is not in the position" to question tests. Some insurers have refused to pay, which can leave patients like Moreno threatened with ruinously high bills they had no idea they had incurred.
In another suit, doctors alleged that pain clinics were pressuring doctors to overprescribe medical gear to insured patients. The case didn’t go forwards since doctors didn’t pursue it. In another legal dace, a pain specialist said that some practices are inconsistent with his ethical boundaries.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/19/health/opioid-drug-test-bill-partner/index.html
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