Do doctors need to disclose what is not covered?

TLDR: Do doctors (in NY or anywhere in US) need to verbally disclose when they're doing something not-covered during a normally covered wellness visit?

Hi — I recently booked an annual GYNO exam with an in-network NYC provider. Annual check-ups are covered by my insurance. During the appt, the doctor also did an ultrasound to check for cysts, etc. I didn't request that or anything, she just said oh let's do one, I said sure, whatever you think. A week later, I get a bill for $650 for the ultrasound! I try to explain to them that I had booked an appt I knew was covered, and that during the exam, it was not explained to me that we were doing anything outside the scope of the regular appt. They said, sorry, one of the forms you sign at check-in has a bullet point that says ultrasounds aren't covered. Of course, I go back and look and sure enough, it's in there. I'm sure when I read it it made no impression on me bc I didn't think it would concern me. To make matters more frustrating, in my recent billing research of this practice I've found that this is a common complaint — people being given non-necessary ultrasounds, thinking its part of a covered appt, and then being billed after the fact.

I know medical consent/disclosure has a higher bar than most things. I've been doing research online to try to find anything national or for NY State that says doctors need to verbally confirm when their changing the nature of an appt from preventative to diagnostic (or, basically, when they're adding on something that they know isn't covered). Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

submitted by /u/Last-Direction-8884
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