- If you cannot complete your eligibility/benefits inquiry online, please contact us at 800-842-5975.
- CareFirst Direct Eligibility/Benefits and Claims Status will be unavailable Fri,Oct 11 at 9:30PM to 11:30PM for all members.
- Due to a planned system upgrade beginning Friday, October 11 at 8:00 PM, and continuing through Monday, October 14 at 8:00 AM, you may experience a delay in your information appearing on CareFirst portals. We expect that changes to member data will be reflected on the portals by Wednesday, October 16. Your patience is appreciated.
National Laboratories
As a physician, you can play a role in ensuring clinically appropriate care while minimizing your patient’s costs – and overall costs to the health care system – by referring patients to CareFirst participating national laboratories.
What’s the cost difference between national freestanding laboratories and hospital based laboratories?
| Diagnostic Test | Outpatient Hospital | National (Freestanding) Laboratory | Potential Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assay Thyroid Stimulating Hormone | $52 | $15 | 70% |
| Complete Blood Count (CBC) | $29 | $7 | 75% |
| Comprehensive Metabolic Panel | $48 | $10 | 80% |
| Electrolyte Panel | $36 | $6 | 82% |
| Glycosylated Hemoglobic Test | $50 | $9 | 82% |
| Hepatic Function Panel | $40 | $8 | 81% |
| Lipid Panel | $57 | $12 | 78% |
| Urine Culture/Colony Count | $39 | $8 | 80% |
| Vitamin B-12 | $50 | $14 | 72% |
| Vitamin D | $76 | $27 | 64% |
| This information does not take into account the severity of a patient's illness. Costs are based on average CareFirst member's costs in 2016 and may not represent your patient's actual cost of care for the same services. | |||
LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics are the national laboratories for CareFirst and are a cost-effective choice when referring patients. Members can easily schedule appointments online through LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics websites.
LabCorp (Available for HMO and PPO members)
LabCorp is the only network national lab that BlueChoice (HMO) members can use. Please do not refer HMO members to Quest Diagnostics.
Quest Diagnostics (Available for PPO members only)