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 e-mail our team at vudp@vumc.org to inquire. Online Application Portal coming soon!
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 accepted, our team will contact you to begin the process of collecting your medical records. A thorough review of your records will occur to help our team plan for your in-person visit to our multi-disciplinary Undiagnosed Diseases Clinic located in Nashville, Tennessee. 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 if accepted requires an administrative fee that is not covered by insurance and must be paid by the patient in advance of services. In addition, any genetic testing, consultations, imaging, routine lab work, and any other necessary tests that may be recommended throughout a patient’s participation in the program are then billed to the patient’s insurance separately. The patient is responsible for any costs not covered by insurance.
Additional Financial Information
Insurance covers many services, such as lab tests and diagnostic imaging, that are a necessary part of diagnosing rare diseases. Vanderbilt contracts with many, but not all, insurance companies. If Vanderbilt contracts with the patient’s insurance company and the services are covered by the insurance policy, Vanderbilt will bill the insurance company for those services. We will work with your insurance company to get any “pre-authorizations” needed before any appointments or tests. Services not covered by insurance will be billed to the patient. Patients will also be charged an administrative fee for program costs not covered by insurance. We will discuss the anticipated costs with you before you make a decision about participation in the program. Following this, if there are certain services that your insurance company will not cover, we will notify you of the cost before you receive the service.
Here is a link to the plans that are considered in-network with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC): https://www.vanderbilthealth.com/insurance/insurance-plans. We encourage you to contact your insurance company to verify your coverage for care delivered at a Vanderbilt.
You can find additional information and answers to commonly asked questions about our program by visiting our FAQ page.