nvdc-general-policies

January 9, 2023

To promote clear communication, efficient and prompt service, and uniform policies applied by our staff, the following business operating guidelines were established. Fees in the following schedule apply to clients in and outside of Nebraska.

Accession

An accession represents a laboratory submission from a single clinical problem (disease syndrome) from one herd. An accession may consist of single or multiple animals or specimens from the same production unit, same species, and same age group, with one clinical problem. For multiple animals to be considered a single accession the lab must retain the right to select samples for additional testing and pool testing at the discretion of the case coordinator to mitigate costs. Pooling is only done when no loss in diagnostic sensitivity is anticipated.

• Submissions consisting of multiple animals with different clinical problems will be handled as separate accessions.
• Multiple specimens submitted for specified testing (not marked “discretion of the laboratory”), in which identification of all individual samples is retained, may be billed with one accession fee.
• Submission of a specimen or sample to the VDC Laboratory constitutes agreement to the policies of the VDC Laboratory and transfers ownership of the submitted specimen or sample and any intellectual property rights derived from them to the VDC Laboratory.
• Agreement to allow subcontracting of tests not currently performed is implied by submission to our facility.
• Most testing will be performed at the UNL campus in compliance with our Quality Assurance documents. Subcontracted tests will be noted and the test site will be specified in the final report. Subcontracted tests will be contracted to labs accredited with equal or higher standards or a quality audit will be performed.

Payment

Submission by a veterinarian

The person requesting laboratory services is responsible for payment. The submitting veterinarian will be billed for services forwarded on behalf of clients. Veterinarians should not request the Diagnostic Center bill owners directly for services.

• Laboratory charges are billed with the results and payment is due within 30 days of receipt of results. Laboratory results will be held until an account is brought current.

Submission by an owner

Owners requesting service without a veterinarian are required to pay at the time of sample delivery. A standard fee of $174 is charged for cases that include a necropsy.

• If the charges are greater than $174 for a case with necropsy, the laboratory will notify the owner in advance of the testing for approval of the testing. The balance must be paid in full before results are released. Refund of an overpayment will be processed within 30 days.
• A returned check service fee of $30.00 will be charged for each returned check.
• The University of Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center will accept payments by cash, check, credit card or ACH (electronic payment).

Accession and shipping fees

• A submission and UNL administration fee will be charged on most accessions at a rate of $17.00. This fee will not be charged for EIA (Coggins) testing.
• The cost of shipping, along with related supply costs, will be charged when forwarding testing to reference labs.
• Shipping bacterial isolates usually results in extra charges. Refer to the Test and Fee Information on the VDC website for charges.

Disposal

Clients are required to pay disposal and incineration fees associated with eliminating animal remains. All sheep must be incinerated. Refer to the Test and Fee Information on the NVDC website for charges.

Biopsy fees

• Fees for biopsies are charged at $38.00 per site. A generalized disease process may be considered as one site, i.e. multiple biopsies for a generalized dermatologic condition will be charged as one site.
• All other services will be billed at regular prices.
• Charges incurred due to referral to another lab for second opinions may be charged if shipped at your request.
• Second opinion review of sections in-house will be done free of charge.
• For multiple tissues (necropsy in a bottle) or small animal necropsy, the lab can provide an estimate of charges to assist your billing cash-only clients. Call for an estimate if needed.
• See schedule for general necropsy charges.

Unanticipated fees

Significant additional or unanticipated testing will be performed only after consultation with and approval by the person requesting laboratory services. Additional testing will be charged at the current rate.

Toxicology

Diagnostic toxicology is available at the UNL VDC but analytical testing is performed by referral to qualified accredited laboratories equipped for those services. We select an appropriate laboratory based on the specimen submitted and service requested. Fees are established by referral laboratories. Our case coordinators will interpret results in the context of pathologic findings and clinical scenarios reported with the samples.

Laboratory results

Case results are accessible on the Internet. To view case results, go to the Results and Billing page of the website to register. Results may be faxed or e-mailed as they become available.

Please keep the lab informed of any changes to your information such as phone number or address. Information can be called to 402-472-1434 or emailed to vdc2@unl.edu.