A PSCC 2 charge on a Labcorp bill is a Patient Service Center Charge billed at two units, meaning Labcorp charged you twice for specimen collection during a single visit. The fee is separate from the lab tests themselves, which is why it shows up as its own line item and often surprises patients who expected one charge for their bloodwork.
What the “2” Actually Means
PSCC stands for Patient Service Center Charge. It covers the overhead of collecting your sample: the phlebotomist’s time, the needles and tubes, the bandage, and the handling needed to prep your specimen for the lab. The number after “PSCC” is the quantity of collection units billed on that claim. PSCC 2 means two units.
Two units can reflect two separate draws performed during the same visit, or it can reflect how Labcorp’s billing system grouped the collection event for the tests your doctor ordered. If you remember only one needle stick, that’s the first thing to question, because the unit count feeds directly into what you owe.
Why It’s Billed Separately From Your Tests
Specimen collection and specimen analysis are two different services. The diagnostic tests (a lipid panel, thyroid screen, complete blood count, or anything else your doctor ordered) each have their own billing codes and appear on their own lines. The collection itself is billed under CPT 36415, the code for routine venipuncture from a peripheral vein.
So a statement showing PSCC 2 plus several test charges is really showing you the collection fee on one line and the lab work on the others. The PSCC fee keeps Labcorp’s walk-in locations staffed and stocked regardless of what tests get run on the sample.
What a PSCC 2 Charge Typically Costs
Labcorp does not publish a public fee schedule for the PSCC line item. Patients commonly report individual PSCC charges in the range of roughly $10 to $30 per unit, so a two-unit charge could land somewhere between $20 and $60 depending on your location.
For comparison, Medicare reimburses specimen collection under CPT 36415 at $9.34 per encounter for 2026, and $11.34 when the specimen is collected from a patient in a skilled nursing facility or on behalf of a home health agency. Those rates apply only to Medicare, but they give you a baseline for what the federal government considers reasonable. Commercially insured and private-pay patients almost always see higher numbers.
Why Your Insurance Didn’t Pay It
Insurers treat the collection fee as its own billable service, separate from the tests. How your plan handles it depends on your coverage and where you stand with your deductible.
If you have an unmet deductible, the insurer will usually process the PSCC charge as a valid medical expense but apply it to the deductible rather than paying Labcorp. The result looks confusing: the claim shows as “approved,” yet you owe the full amount. That’s normal deductible behavior, not a denial.
Preventive screenings add another wrinkle. Under the Affordable Care Act, most plans must cover recommended preventive services at no cost when you use an in-network provider, even before you meet your deductible. The law focuses on the screening tests themselves. Some insurers bundle the collection fee into the preventive service and cover it at zero cost; others treat the blood draw as a separate billable event outside the preventive mandate. If you went in expecting a free annual screening and got a bill for PSCC 2, read your Explanation of Benefits carefully and call both your insurer and Labcorp to find out which service triggered the patient responsibility.
High-deductible health plans produce the most surprise collection fees. Because these plans require thousands out of pocket before coverage kicks in, even small administrative charges land on you until the deductible is satisfied.
When the No Surprises Act Applies
If your lab work was performed at an in-network hospital or facility but the laboratory itself was out-of-network, the federal No Surprises Act limits what you can be billed. Under 42 U.S.C. § 300gg–132, when a nonparticipating provider furnishes ancillary services at a participating facility, the provider cannot balance bill you beyond your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. Laboratory services are specifically listed as protected ancillary services. You would only owe your normal in-network copay, coinsurance, or deductible amount, and those payments count toward your in-network out-of-pocket maximum.
You cannot be asked to waive these protections for diagnostic lab services. If a Labcorp charge looks like out-of-network balance billing for services done at an in-network facility, you have grounds to push back.
Uninsured patients have a different protection: the right to receive a good faith estimate of expected charges before scheduled services. If the final bill exceeds the good faith estimate by $400 or more, you can start a dispute through the federal process.
How to Verify the Unit Count and Dispute It
The single most common PSCC 2 error worth checking is whether the unit count matches what actually happened. One blood draw should not be billed as two units of collection.
Before calling, pull together three things:
- Your invoice number, which is the eight-digit number on your Labcorp bill.
- Your Explanation of Benefits from your insurer. This document shows exactly how the claim was processed, how many units were billed, and how much hit your deductible.
- Your own recollection of the visit, including the date of service and, if you can remember, the location and the phlebotomist.
Compare the line items on the Labcorp invoice against the EOB. If the quantities don’t match between the two documents, that’s a red flag that either Labcorp coded the claim wrong or your insurer processed it wrong.
Call Labcorp Patient Billing at 800-845-6167, available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Have your invoice number ready so the representative can open your account right away. Ask the rep to explain, in plain terms, what each unit of PSCC on your bill represents and when each collection was performed. If their records don’t match your experience, request a corrected claim.
If the Charge Is Correct: Paying It
Labcorp’s online billing portal at patient.labcorp.com lets you look up your bill using your invoice number, ZIP code, and date of birth. From there you can pay in full or set up a payment plan.
For balances of $50 or more, Labcorp offers interest-free installment plans with no fees. You can set one up through your online Labcorp Patient account or by calling 800-845-6167. That’s often the right move when the PSCC fee lands on top of larger test charges.
If You Can’t Afford the Bill
Labcorp runs a financial hardship program for patients who cannot pay. The company compares your household size and total annual gross household income against the federal poverty guidelines to determine a discount. Income counted includes salary, unemployment, disability, Social Security, and public assistance for everyone in the household.
Download the Patient Financial Hardship Application from Labcorp’s website and submit it by email to financialhardship@Labcorp.com, or by mail to Labcorp of America, Attention: FH, PO Box 1558, Burlington, NC 27216-1558. Labcorp will notify you whether you qualify and what discount applies. If you don’t qualify, the interest-free payment plan is still available.