What we do, how we bill and other useful information
If you were a patient recently, you probably had a whole team of medical specialists serving you; some of them you met and some you didn’t. PPA was a member of that team even though you never actually saw one of our staff. Your primary care physician or a specialist sent us some tissue, blood or urine samples for laboratory analysis to help him diagnose your illness. Be assured that even though we never met, we consider you our patient are dedicated to providing you the best professional service possible.
What services do the pathologists provide?
Pathologists examine biopsies and larger specimens removed from the body in order to make an accurate diagnosis of any diseases in the tissue. This process requires a board-certified medical doctor (MD) to make a diagnosis. Sometimes, the pathologist will make the diagnosis using only routine testing, but other times, the pathologist will need to perform special tests on the tissue in order to make an accurate diagnosis, or to learn more about a patient’s disease process.
General information and other resources
We understand that undergoing a biopsy is a frightening experience. We will do our very best to get your biopsy results to your physician in a timely way, so that you do not have to wait any longer than necessary. In most cases, we will provide an interpretation of your biopsy the next business day after we receive it, and send your physician a report outlining our findings. You should always contact the physician that performed your biopsy to get your results. Your physician can fully discuss the meaning of your test result and what your next step will be in light of that result.
In addition, one of the national pathology organizations has put together a web site that may help with some of your questions. You can find the site at www.mybiopsy.org. Please understand that the information found there is general, and all of it may not apply to your specific situation.
Why did I receive a bill from you?
You likely received a bill from your doctor, your hospital (if you were in surgery), perhaps from a physical therapist, etc., as well as one from PPA. It can be confusing, we know. So why so many bills from so many sources?
For example, if you have been a patient at any hospital, surgery center, clinic, or physician office for which PPA provides services and had laboratory testing performed (blood testing, urine or other body fluid testing), a Pap smear, a biopsy, or even a larger surgery , a PPA pathologist has provided professional physician services to you. Even though you may not have met in a face-to-face appointment with a PPA pathologist, the pathologist has provided you with valuable, and medically necessary, physician services. Therefore, your bill reflects these provided services.
For more information, please call 1-800-234-7944 or to make a payment, please contact our billing agent, APS Billing.