Prognosis

Mysterious $1,000 Lab Bills Leave Patients Baffled and Annoyed

‘Who’s Quest? I never went to Quest.’ Rising deductibles leave patients puzzling over surprise charges

Photographer: Martynasfoto/iStockphoto
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A year-and-a-half after he gave them his blood, Glen Thibedeau still owes $100 to Quest Diagnostics Inc.

In April 2017, the 59-year-old mechanic saw his doctor in Las Vegas for an annual checkup. His blood pressure was high, so the physician ordered basic blood work. A couple weeks after visiting a Quest clinic, Thibedeau got a bill in the mail for more than $1,000.