Early Path Medical Consultation Services

Early Path Medical Consultation Services
Pathology Services Working for Safer Pregnancies

How to Arrange a Consultation

If you and your doctor agree that a perinatal pathology consultation would contribute to your clinical management, your first step would be to contact the hospital pathology department, or laboratory, which may have stored tissue slides from your previous pregnancies.

Please be aware that some hospitals and laboratories will require that you sign a form giving them permission to release your material, before they will send it.

To arrange for your materials to be sent, please contact:

Carolyn M. Salafia, MD MS
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology 10th floor
St Luke's - Roosevelt Hospital
1000 10th Avenue
New York New York 10019
Phone: (212) 523-7733 - Fax: (212) 523-8066

If you decide to send histology slides for consultation, we will need some basic demographic information and ask that you complete our Patient Profile form and include your obstetric, gynecologic, cardiovascular, and immune medical history, as well as that of your parents and grandparents, if known. Please be sure to include any history of cancer, diabetes, early onset cardiovascular disease, birth defects, infertility or subfertility. If you would like to send tissue samples from a recent pregnancy loss to Dr. Salafia, please see instructions for Sending Specimens.

Please note: Since the tragedy of 9/11, it can be difficult to arrange for specimen mailing, especially when this involves tissues. Federal Express offers an option for shipping "diagnostic specimens" that has worked for many of our patients. They require the specimen container to be waterproof, wrapped in an absorbent towel, and placed into a plastic, sealable bag. They will send you a "Diagnostic Specimen Bag" if you call and make the request.

After the slides are received, Dr. Salafia will issue a diagnosis to be used by your doctor to help determine what is the optimal obstetric management and therapy to give you the best chance of a next successful pregnancy. Dr. Salafia’s report will be sent to your physician and she will discuss your results personally with him/her. Please be aware that turn around time for reports is generally 7 - 10 days. However, there are circumstances (e.g., receipt of tissue from patients that are currently pregnant) in which our priorities must shift and results may be expedited or delayed. We realize that this is a difficult time for you, and we make every effort to provide you with as much information as possible, as soon as possible.

Billing

We will do our best to help you complete your insurance claims in order to maximize your reimbursement, However, professional fees are expected in full at the time of histology slide receipt. Certain insurance companies, unfortunately, do not reimburse for all procedures, and may not reimburse for telephone consultations at all.

In our continuing effort to serve Doctors and patients more efficiently, we would like to inform you of the insurance carriers and HMO's that we are currently affiliated with. This means we will accept what the insurance pays. Note: Some plans do require co-pay from the patient. The patient is responsible for their co-pay and any deductible required.

Clinical Laboratory Anatomical Pathology
1199 National Benefit Fund 1199 National Benefit Fund
Aetna US HealthCare (HMO/POS) Aetna US HealthCare (HMO)
Aetna US HealthCare (indemnity) Aetna US HealthCare(Medicare)
Aetna US HealthCare (Medicare) Affinity Health Plan (formerly Genesis) Medicaid
Aetna US HealthCare (PPO, Healthy Direct) Americhoice (Medicaid)
Affinity Health Plan (formerly Genesis) CHP Americhoice (Medicare)
Affinity Health Plan (formerly Genesis) Medicaid, FHP Care Plus Health Plan (Medicaid)
Americhoice (Medicaid, FHP) Cigna
Americhoice (Medicare) Elder Plan, Inc. (Medicare)
Beech Street (Medichoice) PPO Empire BCBS (HMO)
Care Plus Health Plan (Medicaid, FHP,CHP) Empire BCBS (Medicare)
Cigna (HMO) GHI (Medicare)
Cigna (PPO) GHI (HMO)
Community Care Network (First Health Network PPO) GHI (Medicaid)
Consumer Health Network (PPO) GHI
Devon Health Services, Inc. (PPO) Health Net PHS (HMO)
GHI (CBP) Health Net PHS (Medicare)
GHI (Medicare) Health Plus (Medicaid)
GHI (Network Access) HIP (HMO)
GHI (PPO) HIP (Medicaid, Medicare)
GHI (HMO) Horizon HealthCare of New York, Inc. HMO
GHI (Medicaid, FHP,CHP) Magellan Behavioral Health (HMO)
Great West HealthCare (formerly One Health Plan PPO) Managed Health Network (MHN) Medicare
Health Net PHS (HMO) Neighborhood Health Providers (Medicaid)
Health Net PHS (Medicare) New York Presbyterian Community Health Plan (Medicaid)
Health Plus (Medicaid, FHP, CHP) Partners in Health (Medicaid)
Health South (PPO) Select Health (Medicaid)
HIP (HMO/POS) United HealthCare (Medicaid, Medicare)
HIP (Medicaid, FHP) United HealthCare (Not the Empire Plan) HMO
HIP (Medicare) Vytra HealthCare (HMO)
Horizon HealthCare of New York, Inc, (HMO/PPO) Well Care (Medicaid)
Horizon Healthcare of New York, Inc. (TPA) Elder Plan, Inc. (Medicare)
Magellan Behavioral Health (HMO,PPO)
Magnacare (PPO)
Managed Health Network (MHN) Commercial/Medicare
Multiplan (PPO)
Neighborhood Health Providers (CHP)
Neighborhood Health Providers (Medicaid, FHP)
New York Presbyterian Community Health Plan (Medicaid, CHP, FHP)
Oxford (Commercial)
Oxford (Liberty)
Partners in Health (Medicaid, FHP, CHP)
Private HealthCare Systems (PHCS) PPO
Select Health (Medicaid, HIV SNP)
United Behavioral Health (Commercial;Medicaid;Medicare)
United HealthCare (Medicaid, FHP)
United HealthCare (not empire plan) HMO and PPO
Vytra HealthCare (HMO/PPO)
Well Care (Medicaid, FHP, CHP)
Elder Plan, Inc. (Medicare)

For additional information regarding insurance coverage, please call your healthcare insurance provider or employer directly.

DISCLAIMER: This communication is for educational purposes only and it is not to be used as a substitute for a consultation with your physician. Should you contact Dr. Salafia's office, any responses to you will be based on the information you provide and no attempt will be made to confirm or verify any such information, including any laboratory data you may submit. Questions regarding actual symptoms of illness or health conditions should be addressed to a local health care practitioner who can physically examine and take responsibility for your care throughout the course of your condition/illness, which Dr. Salafia, being a physician licensed to practice medicine only in the State of New York, cannot and will not do. You should NOT use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem; rather, you should consult a qualified health care provider who examines you in person and who is licensed to practice in the state where you are located.