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What happens at an infectious disease doctor appointment?

An appointment with an infectious disease doctor is nearly identical to a normal routine doctor's appointment. They perform the same physical examination and ask many of the same questions. The majority of the unique work that infectious disease doctors do occurs behind the scenes. They often order specialized lab tests to look for infectious organisms and the changes to the body that they cause. These tests are routine blood tests that are no different than any other blood draw. 

In some cases, special tests such as x-rays and biopsies (very small sections of the skin/lung/muscle collected for study) may be performed to monitor treatment or confirm a suspected disease. These are often done in the doctor's office.

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

The site is not a substitute for medical or healthcare advice and does not serve as a recommendation for a particular provider or type of medical or healthcare.