Private lab test

[rgp]

Hope that's a proper topic heading?

Has anyone ever just called a lab and ask for blood tests?

We have a good lab [Lab-Corp] not far from me. I am considering just asking for a blood draw, paid out of pocket, results to be given/emailed/snail-mailed to me direct . No doc involvement .

If for no other reason...It's a good comparison/second opinion . Without the headache of dealing with yet another doc.

 

[Keesha]

Apparently at our new health clinic, my husband informed me that you can get your results online.
I’ve never used this service since I don’t believe in needlessly worrying. If there is a problem with any of my tests I have confidence that the medical staff at our clinic will inform me since that’s their job.,Then I would make an appointment to go in for a consultation about the tests.

 

[C'est Moi]

Hope that's a proper topic heading?

Has anyone ever just called a lab and ask for blood tests?

We have a good lab [Lab-Corp] not far from me. I am considering just asking for a blood draw, paid out of pocket, results to be given/emailed/snail-mailed to me direct . No doc involvement .

If for no other reason...It's a good comparison/second opinion . Without the headache of dealing with yet another doc.

Why don't you call the lab and ask them? I've never tried getting blood tests that weren't ordered by a doctor, with the exception of buying my own glucose meter and strips out of curiosity.

 

[rgp]

Apparently at our new health clinic, my husband informed me that you can get your results online.
I’ve never used this service since I don’t believe in needlessly worrying. If there is a problem with any of my tests I have confidence that the medical staff at our clinic will inform me since that’s their job.,Then I would make an appointment to go in for a consultation about the tests.

Not sure I understand your response in regard to my question? but........." I don’t believe in needlessly worrying"....I do not believe that is something I am doing. I am @ this time merely interested in a second opinion. And would prefer that opinion / result be handed directly too me.

 

[rgp]

Why don't you call the lab and ask them? I've never tried getting blood tests that weren't ordered by a doctor, with the exception of buying my own glucose meter and strips out of curiosity.

Well, I will....I just thought I'd ask here first.

 

[Mike]

You might find rgp that they are not licensed to draw
blood and that will need a doctor or a nurse to do that.

Same as dental technicians cannot take an impression
and make you new teeth, a dentist has to do it.

But maybe America is different.

Good luck.

Mike.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would call and ask the price first, the out of pocket costs for routine blood tests will shock you.

Another approach might be going through one of these new urgent care shops that are popping up around the country and using your insurance to pay for the visit and the blood test.

Good luck!

 

[Tommy]

Yes, definitely call the lab.

I did something similar a few months ago. In my case, I wanted to duplicate an analysis (PSA) ordered by a specialist MD. I asked my regular doc to give me a lab order because I wanted him to be copied on the results. I hand carried the order to a NorDx facility near me that does blood draws, signed their forms, and paid by check. They mailed the results directly to me. I don't believe the order from my doc was necessary, but you should check with your lab to be sure. Large laboratory chains have certain facilities that will do their blood draws, so make sure the one near you does this.

Not to hijack this thread, but ... It's important for people to realize that all analytical data has inherent variation. Scientists know this, but technical people like doctors and engineers are often, um ... well, pretty oblivious (my apologies to any doctors or engineers out there). A technical person may look at a series of numbers like 5.5, 5.8, 6.3 and say "Oh my, it's going up". The scientist might look at that same set of values and recognize it as nothing more than "analytical noise" ... the variability of the test itself. If, in this example, the precision of the test is plus or minus 3, then the apparent "trend" is totally meaningless.

Having a test your doctor orders duplicated by an independent laboratory is one way of getting some idea of the inherent variability of the test results.

ETA: The total cost for my NorDx PSA test, including the blood draw, was just under $100.

 

[Keesha]

Not sure I understand your response in regard to my question? but........." I don’t believe in needlessly worrying"....I do not believe that is something I am doing. I am @ this time merely interested in a second opinion. And would prefer that opinion / result be handed directly too me.

Sorry rpg, I misunderstood your question. Possibly because I didn’t read it right.