Hormone Testing is generally covered per the patient's insurance plan as explained below. Visits with a Naturopathic Doctor are not covered, but can be applied to the plan's deductible and paid for by Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
Proper hormone testing is important for conditions such as menopause, perimenopause, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, PCOS, Insulin Resistance, cystic acne, and hormonal acne. Getting the correct labs ordered is important for successful patient outcomes, therefore Dr. Sundene prefers no other doctor to order her hormone labs unless they are also a Naturopathic Doctor that specializes in Female Hormones.
Our clinic works hard to ensure that insurance covers hormone testing which would otherwise cost $800-$2000 if not paid by insurance for an initial hormone panel to determine the type of hormone imbalance. Many Naturopathic Hormone Doctors do not offer labs via insurance, and instead, require the patient to perform expensive saliva hormone testing. Please read the following information carefully to ensure we can process your labs accurately via your insurance.
Patients with standard insurance plans such as Cigna, BCBS, United Healthcare, Aetna, etc should call their insurance provider to determine which lab is contracted with their plan. It will be either Labcorp (preferred) or Sonora Quest (more errors, greater wait time.) For these plans, it does not matter who the ordering doctor is. It matters that the doctor has the correct hormone imbalance diagnosis codes to match the labs that are being ordered and that the patient is at the correct lab that is contracted with their plan. If your PPO plan does not care what lab you go to we recommend Labcorp as less likely to cause errors at this time.
Patients with Medicare are only covered at Labcorp. Vitamin testing and preventive tests are not generally paid by Medicare, such as Hemoglobin A1c for diabetes prevention. Women should expect their hormones to be covered but to receive additional small bills of $20-$40 for each test that Medicare deems "not medically necessary." Patients with Medicare should have their Medicare PCP order any imaging they require as imaging is not covered when ordered by a Naturopathic Doctor.
Medicaid/AHCCSS is not covered. Little lab coverage is allowed with Arizona Medicaid and most MD's can only order 1-2 tests as a result. Please refer to the cash pay pricing below. Naturopathic Doctors cannot order AHCCSS labs in Arizona.
Cash Pay Patients: For patients without insurance, we recommend cash labs at Sonora Quest as the most cost-effective option. The first panel is generally $500-$800 to determine the diagnosis of hormone imbalance, then follow-up spot checking of the imbalanced hormones is generally around $200. Patients receive the cash pay discount by paying at the time of their blood draw at the Sonora Quest draw station.
Patients should be fasting and go to the lab around 8am with no caffeine or AM hormones taken the day of their blood draw. If you get to the lab and realize you have taken hormones, your lab tests will be inaccurate and need to be repeated. It is best to leave and not waste your insurance opportunity on incorrect labs. Please take any AM hormones after your blood has been drawn to avoid false elevations of thyroid and bioidentical hormones. If you take PM hormones such as BHRT, Bioidentical Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone or testosterone, please take these as you normally do before bed. Patients should not have a lapse in their medication the two weeks prior to their blood draw or their labs will be incorrect. Any caffeine the day of your labs will interfere with your hormone labs, as will any biotin taken the 2 weeks prior to testing. Biotin interferes especially with thyroid tests.
Menstruating women: Should have their blood drawn days 21-25 of their menstrual cycle with day 1 being the first day that they start to bleed.
Non-menstruating women: Can have their blood drawn at any point in the month
For more questions about Bioidentical Hormones and hormone testing, please visit our page on Bioidentical Hormones.
To set up your new patient visit to receive a lab order, please visit our SCHEDULE page.
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology, Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema, and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 23 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones, she presents to women the best-integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease.
She has been an Herbalist for over 28 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan (not Medicaid) and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones, and Naturopathy!
