Missouri bill may prohibit doctors from marking up some anatomical laboratory work

Another state enters anti-markup fray:

In continuing coverage from a previous edition of Daily Diagnosis, the AP (5/4, Stafford) reported that a "bill before the Missouri House would prohibit doctors from marking up the cost of certain anatomical laboratory work — such as skin biopsies and Pap tests — that are performed by outside laboratories." The measure, "which has been approved by the Senate and is awaiting floor debate in the House, would prohibit what’s known as ‘pass-through’ billing." State Rep. Kevin Wilson (R-Neosho), the bill’s sponsor, said, "It seems to me that we should protect the patient from being charged (by a doctor) for a service that someone else is doing." But critics of the proposal "argue that the bill gets the state involved in pricing decisions that should be left to private practice physicians, and could hurt services for some patients, particularly the uninsured."