I had bloodwork done in July before I started my bipolar meds. It was to be a baseline before I started any medication. My p-doc office doesn't have a lab, so I went to an idependent LabCorp place. It was set up where they don't bill you up front, so I didn't pay anything that day. They were supposed to send the results to my p-doc within 10 days. After 3 weeks, my p-doc hadn't received them and sent them an email asking where they were. Still nothing. After 4 weeks, they sent another email. Same after 5 weeks. At five weeks, my p-doc's office CALLED the lab and asked where my results were. They said they had no record of me ever coming in. My p-doc office called one more time and asked them to search with all my personal information to see if there was some sort of mix up, but the lab said no, they had no record of me coming in. My p-doc then asked me to call.

So then I called. First time they said, Nope. No record of me coming in. The second time I called in I gave them the confirmation number of my appointment and told them the lab tech's name I saw and even the conversation we had when she took my blood. They said I was lying about having bloodwork done and I needed to schedule an appointment and show up. I hung up crying and decided I needed to go to a different lab to have the test done. For the last six months I have assumed they must have lost my test.

Until yesterday. (Yes, six MONTHS later) I got a bill at my house. For $400. For the test from July. It was addressed in someone else's name but to my address. This is the very first letter I have from them and it is marked in giant letters PAST DUE. So I put two and two together and figure my test was swapped with someone else's since the letter is addressed to someone else. Or the test was run under someone else's name. I don't know. Somehow the test was compromised. Because they have my address and it says PAST DUE it concerns me and I call them to get the charges dropped since they screwed up. I have excellent credit and don't want it somehow to mess up my credit. So I call.

Only they didn't drop the charges!! They say they will fix the name on the test and send a new invoice to me. I said that was unethical. They swapped the test, so the results are not reliable. They had told me in August that they had no record of me getting a test and to get tested again. They hadn't even figured out what went wrong until I figured it out yesterday and just called in. I am so mad. They would not transfer me to a supervisor. I think this is so wrong to charge me for a test they mishandled and swapped with someone else's.

I am writing a letter, but the address they provide is for the same location of the call center so I'm not too hopeful. How in the world do I convince them that billing me for this is wrong? There is no way I can submit this to my insurance. They are not going to pay for a second claim of the same bloodwork. I just can't believe this mess. This stuff is so aggravating.

I'm trying to stay calm, but I'm coming off a really horrible couple months of a severe depressive episode. My p-doc is still switching up my meds. I'm doing a withdrawal from klonopin and lexapro right now and feel lousy, so I'm sure that isn't helping my mood. I want to be rational, but maybe I'm not. Tell me...it isn't fair for them to bill me for a blood test they swapped or tested under someone else's name, is it? Is it unreasonable for me to want them to drop the bill? I shouldn't be crying over this, but today it really has me upset.