Veterinarian charged more than $16,000 for drug test

Veterinarian Nicole Martell-Moran owns the Feline Medical Center in Clear Lake.

Nagging back pain from an old injury prompted her to visit U.S. Pain and Spine Clinic in nearby Webster.

"My goal was to potentially have therapy prescribed or some sort of back pain treatment and it was requested I have a drug test prior to any treatment, I guess to prove that I wasn't already on any medication," said Martell-Moran.

That makes sense, but what doesn't make sense is the bill that came later for a urinalysis drug test. The cost? $16,150!

"I was flabbergasted," added Martell-Moran. "That's the only word I could think of, but that's ridiculous."

The drug test was conducted by Houston-based Sunset Laboratories.

FOX 26 News visited the Sunset Laboratories office on the Southwest Freeway where no one answered knocks on the entrance door or phone calls to the building.

After Martell-Moran's insurance company got involved, the price was knocked down to $3,600, which her insurer paid.

Sunset Laboratories is still demanding $500 dollars from Martell-Moran, which she says she has no intention of paying.