Division of Molecular Genomic Pathology -
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the laboratory require a signed copy of informed consent for genetic testing?
With the exception of testing for Huntington Disease, the Division does not require a copy of informed consent for genetic testing. The laboratory presumes that written informed consent has already been obtained by the requesting clinician and is on file in the patient's clinical chart. The laboratory is happy to provide information relating to specific tests including indications, limitations, and costs as a contribution to the full informed consent process. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please
contact us.
If I order a test on my patient, how will that patient be billed?
If you have questions pertaining to test fees, please
call the Division Office. If the patient is within the UPMC HealthCare System, then we can bill the patient's insurance. For patients outside of the UPMC HealthCare System, we bill the requesting institution; the requesting institution is then responsible for billing the patient. We do not bill the patient's insurance directly if the patient is outside of UPMC unless the sample comes directly from a physician's office that is not a part of a medical center. Non Medicare/Medicaid patients may be billed directly for the full cost of testing and then seek reimbursement from their insurance carrier. For sites that send samples regularly, discounts may be arranged. If you would like to establish an institutional account or question whether your organization already has an institutional account established with UPMC, please
contact us.
What specimen type should I send for testing?
This depends on the test ordered. Our
requisition and specimen handling forms describe what samples are acceptable in detail. If you don't see the information listed after searching these forms on the website, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
What are your CAP and CLIA certification numbers?
Click
here for this information.
