American Esoteric Laboratories

This lab seems to be the go-​to one in Memphis for doctors — at least, all the lab work I had done last year ended up here!
Let’s start with the good. They actually answer the phone, and are pretty polite. Make sure you have your account number (it’s on your bill), and they’ll tell you what stuff means, why you owe what they say you do, and if you really have to pay it now, or if you can wait a month or two. They’ll also be happy to re-​file claims with insurance, which buys you some time. Really, despite the scary-​sounding «This is a debt and you must pay it» verbiage on their bills, they don’t seem super interested in actually making you pay up.
On the other hand, if your tests are not covered by insurance, their prices are outrageous. I got a bill for $ 900 of blood work — seriously?! I called about once a month for 3 – 4 months and they happily re-​filed, delayed, and otherwise weren’t jerks about it, but even though I had insurance, they wouldn’t offer me the discounted insurance rates. I finally sucked it up and paid in full (though I could have paid $ 50 a month if I’d wanted to), and got something like 15% or 20% off the total, though that still came out to over $ 700.
More recently, I had my first experience of the lab pointing at the doctor’s office, and vice versa. Since it’s only $ 20, and I know they’ll eventually just send another bill, I’m going to wait before calling them back and telling them that the doctor says it’s their problem, but still. They should know which codes are internal, and why it’s being billed for a larger than allowable insurance amount.
Honestly, you probably won’t be able to avoid AEL if you go to the doctor in Memphis, but it could be a lot worse.