32-3210. Billing for laboratory costs; unprofessional conduct; definition

A. It is an act of unprofessional conduct for a health professional to request a laboratory that provides anatomic pathology services at the health professional's orders to submit a bill for anatomic pathology services, whether occurring in this state or elsewhere, to any person or entity other than the following:

1. The patient.

2. The responsible insurer or other third party payor.

3. The health care institution.

4. A referring laboratory, excluding the laboratory of the health professional who ordered the test.

5. A governmental agency or the agency's public or private agent, agency or organization that is acting on behalf of the recipient of the services.

B. For the purposes of this section, "anatomic pathology services" includes cytology services, molecular pathology services, hematopathology, histopathology, surgical pathology, and blood banking services performed by a pathologist.  Anatomic pathology services does not include the collection, packaging and transportation of the specimen.