FAQs About Advanced Diagnostic and Laboratory Servi

 

A few hundred years ago, if you had any health condition, your doctor would probably recommend blood letting. This was a process of cutting the patient and allowing the “bad blood” to be released, so that the delicate balance of chemicals in the blood could be restored and bring the patient back to good health.


We now know this concept is almost entirely malarkey (although there are still situations where bleeding is used in modern medicine), but there is one aspect of this medical practice that the doctors of yester-year had right: the blood tells us a lot about a person’s health.


If you seek medical care for any range of major or minor injuries and illnesses, from serious conditions like chest pain to less serious, like sore throats and mysterious stomach pain, your doctor will likely order advanced diagnostic and laboratory services to get a view of your health that goes beyond what the eye can see. This might be unnerving for you though, so we put together a quick guide to getting advanced diagnostic and laboratory services.


FAQs About Advanced Diagnostic and Laboratory Services

1. Am I supposed to fast before I get lab work, as I would for surgery?
   
   In almost all cases, you can eat as you normally would before getting advanced diagnostic and laboratory services. There are some specific lab tests that require a varied diet or limited fluids in order to get the best information from your blood, but your doctor will give you these instructions if the nature of your lab work requires this. By all means, if you are unsure of the instructions regarding your lab orders, call your doctor. You’re better off taking the time to double check than having the results of your lab work look wonky.
   
   
   While we’re on the subject we’ll add: unless you’re specifically advised otherwise by the doctor who ordered your lab work, you should always take any medication prescribed to you as usual on the days that you get lab work done. Withholding medication you need from your body could be very dangerous to your health.




2. How long does it take to get answers after taking lab tests?
   
   We understand that not knowing what is causing your symptoms can be disconcerting. Most of the time, you’ll get the results of your lab work back within 24 hours. Sometimes, it will be automatically uploaded into a portal that allows you to review it yourself right away. If there is anything unusual about your lab work, or you require further analysis, your doctor might schedule an appointment with you to review your results together. That might take a little longer to get the results.




3. Since I can review my own lab work without seeing a doctor, can I order my own lab work without seeing a doctor?
   
   There are laws surrounding this on both a state and federal level. Some state laws are less restrictive, and allow you to seek tests such as drug tests without doctors orders (although some states do not allow this flexibility), but federal laws ban most medical tests from being ordered without a medical doctor’s orders. This is for your own safety and protection.
   
   
   Some people are concerned about going to a doctor to get lab work because they are do not have a primary care doctor who can order the tests for them, and finding a doctor can be an overwhelming process. Fortunately, most walk-in urgent care clinics have in-house lab services, so you can get lab orders and your blood work done in one visit, without having a doctor.




4. Is there any other way to get lab work done without having doctor’s orders?
   
   Some simple lab tests (such as drug tests and some testing for sexually transmitted diseases) can be ordered without a doctor’s approval. These tests are issued in a kit that you administer yourself and then you would deliver it to a lab (or sent through the mail, if appropriate for the type of test you’re seeking) for analysis. With these types of tests, your results are issued to you directly within a day or two, without going through a doctor first.

Do you have any other questions or comments about advanced diagnostic and laboratory services? Please share in the comment section below!