If the place that gave you the test didn’t file with your insurance, begin working to file a claim yourself. In the meantime, contact the clinic and tell them what’s going on, preferably in writing, requesting they don’t send your account to collections while you get this fixed.

You can, and should, ask the clinic to file the claim but don’t rely on it completely. I’ve been screwed over by places that didn’t file insurance correctly and I ended up paying out of pocket just to get them to piss off. Just stay on top of this until the claim is filed and paid out correctly.

As for sending it to a lab that the insurance wouldn’t pay for, if that happened, it’s generally the patient’s responsibility to be sure they know what lab the test is going to and that it’s the right one. I doubt that’s the case here though.

I’m puzzled how this could possibly hit your credit report this quickly, I have never heard of a company sending you to collections within a week or two. Not only do they not send to collections that quickly but credit reports don’t always update that fast. If it is on your credit, you could try contesting the debt.