What we have done here at Saint Joseph's is: Obtain a written order from
the clinician requesting the test. (We devised a form to send to the
office so that we would get all the necessary pt info.) We have the
pathologist review the slides and give us the correct block for testing.
If there is sufficient material we have the patient registered in the
hospital system with current billing info (from the drs. office.) Then
we accession the specimen with the prefix "R" (reference testing) and we
have a current case to bill the new test on. Hope this makes sense. J:>)

>----------
>From: 	Patricia M. Karlisch[SMTP:PKARLISCH@PSGHS.EDU]
>Sent: 	Monday, November 02, 1998 5:09 PM
>To: 	Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: 	DAKO Hercept
>
>Dear Histonetters,
>Does anyone  know how billing is to proceed on archival material used to
>perform the Hercept test for Her2/neu?  Assuming a clinician and his patient
>request such a study to be performed on blocks from several years
>ago...could you generate a billing number without a  current procedure date
>(aside from billling the patient directly).  This is obviously posing some
>problems since there is increased public awareness of this "prognostic"
>marker and its' potential  on archival blocks. At the moment we have only a
>few requests but I know this will increase dramatically.
>Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
>
>Pat Karlisch
>Team Leader
>Geisinger Medical Center
>Danville, PA  17821
>1-717-271-8148
>pkarlisch@psghs.edu
>
>