We do not accept self-referrals. A medical provider familiar with your case (i.e. primary care physician, specialist, physician's assistant, nurse practitioner, or genetic counselor) must complete an application on your behalf. This person cannot be a family member. Please have them submit an application for you using our Online Application Portal.
After You Apply
Once we receive an application for you, our team will reach out to you and your referring provider to discuss next steps. Our team will verify if the patient meets our eligibility requirements and determine if our program is the best fit for the patient’s health needs. This review can take several weeks.
For those patients who are eligible, our team will review the medical records that you and your referring provided submitted with your application to help our team plan for your in-person screening evaluation visit to our Multi-disciplinary Undiagnosed Diseases Clinic located in Nashville, Tennessee. This visit will help our team determine if enrollment in the program could be of benefit to you. For some, the journey will continue on after this visit. This may include further evaluations or the opportunity to participate in additional research studies.
Our program is insurance-based, and any consultations, imaging, routine lab work, genetic testing, and/or any other necessary tests that may be recommended throughout a patient’s participation in the program are billed to the patient’s insurance. The patient is responsible for any costs not covered by insurance.
Additional Financial Information
Your insurance may help cover the costs of services, such as lab tests and diagnostic imaging, that are a necessary part of diagnosing rare diseases, but specific coverage varies by policy. Vanderbilt contracts with many, but not all, insurance companies, and not all insurance policies cover all services. We will let you know if Vanderbilt is an in-network provider for your insurance and which services may not be covered. We will attempt to secure any prior authorizations your insurance may require prior to any evaluations or tests. you are responsible for any co-pays, deductibles, co-insurance, and all costs your insurance doesn't cover, including travel and lodging. For a list of in-network plans, please visit https://www.vanderbilthealth.com/insurance/insurance-plans and confirm details with your insurer.
If you are accepted into the program, you will pay an upfront administrative fee for operating costs not covered by insurance - including the time and expertise of multiple specialists reviewing and discussing the case, coordination of a multidisciplinary clinic visit, organization of follow-up testing (if needed), and preparing a comprehensive summary document.
For more information about anticipated costs, please contact our team.
You can find additional information and answers to commonly asked questions about our program by visiting our FAQ page.