Blood Testing Online

1. Looking for a convenient way to stay on top of your health. You will be saving yourself a lot of time. Normally, when you want to get a lab test done, there is a long process. First, you have to call and make an appointment with your primary care provider. Second, you need to wait a few weeks as your doctor probably has a busy schedule. At the day of the appointment, you will have to wait in the waiting room. Once in, you will need wait for your doctor to hear you out and give you a referral. Then, you will need to go to the lab, and get your blood taken. But the waiting is not over as you will still need to give the tests results about a week to be sent from the lab and reviewed by your doctor. At this point a nurse may give you a call, perhaps to make a follow-up appointment with the doctor. The process can be complicated and the results may never actually be shared with you. We want you to skip all this hassle and make it simple for you to get your body's data. We want to empower you to "know your numbers."

2. Looking for a more affordable option. When you avoid the doctor’s appointment and referral, you are skipping all the related costs. Nowadays, health insurance companies are offering high deductibles and co-pays. This means that the patient needs to pay a big portion of the fees associated with the doctor’s appointment and lab tests. When you decide to get blood work done with Health Testing Centers, you can order it yourself at cheaper prices. We want you to save unnecessary dollars spent.

3. Looking for confidentiality. Deciding to have blood work done without a doctor’s prescription means that your results will be communicated to you directly. We will not share your blood test results with anyone other than yourself. This means that neither your physician nor your insurance company will be aware of the outcome. So, while we encourage you to share your blood test results with your primary giver to better manage your health, it can be easier, less time consuming, and more affordable to get the tests done, on your own, at Health Testing Centers.

You can absolutely order your own lab tests and be in charge of your health data. Doctors are valuable health managers; however, they should not be the only ones involved in decision making, when it comes to your body and wellbeing. You should be able to decide what lab tests you want to do; and, when you can get them done.

Many are not aware that it is possible to get blood work done without visiting a doctor and getting a prescription. Consumer initiated lab tests are exactly the same blood tests conventionally-ordered by your physician from the same leading laboratories. Health Testing Centers makes the process simple and convenient. You do not need your doctor’s prescription or referral. Also, you are not required to have health insurance coverage. If you are curious about checking your cholesterol levels, your vitamins levels, or in need of a test for an STD, you can order it yourself. You might even be curious to know whether your hormones are regulated or whether your new diet plan is keeping you healthy.

When you order a lab test from Health Testing Centers you can decide to visit LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics or have an at-home test kit sent to you. You pay private-pay prices when ordering the tests. There are no additional fees. We do not bill your insurance company. In the end you often pay much less. At Health Testing Centers you are taking charge of your health and wellness, as well as your finances.

All test orders and results are reviewed by our physicians. In the event that any of your results are out-of-range, you will see clear flag next to the value. We do not want to just send in your results, we want you to understand what they mean. At Health Testing Centers we offer you the power to manage your own health by ordering your own blood tests at affordable prices.

Does A Blood Test Hurt?

The procedure for drawing blood is called venipuncture. A health professional will ask you to raise your sleeve and wrap an elastic band (tourniquet) around the upper part of your arm to apply pressure, which causes veins to swell with blood. The skin surface is cleaned with antiseptic and a small needle inserted inside the elbow or on the back of the hand. The blood is then withdrawn and collected in a vial or a syringe. When the needle is removed, the elastic band is also removed, a cotton ball placed on the puncture site and if needed, a small bandage applied to stop the bleeding. Make sure you drink well before having your blood taken to ensure your veins are plump, easy to find. Depending on the kind of test, you will be permitted or not to eat before a blood draw.

Most routine diagnostic lab tests require a blood sample. It’s a brief, generally painless experience (a quick sting or less discomfort level) but it often causes anxiety, especially for those who are needle-phobic (trypanophobia) or don’t like the sight of blood, especially their own. The entire procedure generally takes less than five minutes. A skilled healthcare professional can perform a lab draw with hardly any discomfort at all, quickly and easily.

If you have had some blood testing done, chances are that you have been instructed to avoid eating or drinking anything but water for several hours, generally 8 to 12 hours, prior to your blood being drawn. These are called fasting blood tests, and to many patients who have had them or are about to wonder, it is really necessary to fast before these tests. While it may seem like an unnecessary hassle, the fact is, there are concrete medical reasons for fasting before certain blood tests. Following those instructions to the letter can help ensure that the results of your tests are accurate.

How Does Not Fasting Affect Your Blood Test?

As you digest and metabolize foods and beverages, nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream, which is how they travel throughout the body to fuel its various organs, systems and functions. For several hours after you eat, those nutrients float about in the blood, waiting to be utilized by the body. During that period, the composition of your blood is somewhat altered from its baseline state, with higher than normal concentrations of certain substances – especially glucose, lipids and iron – that can influence the results of blood tests. Fasting before a blood test allows nutrients from your last meal to be cleared from the bloodstream, restoring your blood to its baseline state, eliminating the potential of skewed results from your last meal.

Fasting Blood Tests

Tests that can be significantly affected by food intake include two main groups of tests; blood glucose testing and lipid level testing. The issue is that levels of both glucose and lipids – including LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides – fluctuate during the day according to what types of foods and beverages are ingested. Should these levels be tested at a high point, soon after a sugary drink or a fatty meal, results could come back artificially high, since the standardized reference range that your numbers will be compared with to interpret your test results is based on fasting blood tests. Of course, any treatment you receive for blood sugar or lipid related health issues will be, to some extent, based on those test results, so artificially inflated readings can lead to more aggressive treatment than is necessary.

Other tests that give more accurate results after fasting include certain metabolic and nutrient panels. The amount of certain vitamins and minerals in the bloodstream – especially fat soluble nutrients, such as vitamins A, E and D and essential minerals, iron and electrolytes – can be artificially high after a meal. Measuring them after fasting can give a more accurate picture of nutritional status, ensuring that deficiencies or insufficiencies that can affect health and well-being are not overlooked. Some tests related to the function of kidneys or other vital organs may also require fasting.

Proper Preparation for Fasting Blood Tests

If you have been scheduled for blood tests, it’s always a good policy to ask whether you should fast in preparation for those tests. While health care professionals do generally inform patients of these details, mistakes can happen, so it's wise to double check. If your tests are fasting blood tests, you will need to refrain from eating anything at all for eight to twelve hours before your blood is drawn. Beverages, such as your usual morning coffee, tea or orange juice, should be avoided until after your appointment as well. However, you can – and should – drink plenty of plain water. Being well-hydrated for blood tests is important, making it easier for the lab technician to draw your blood, and water will not affect your test results. In most cases, it is fine to take your regular medications before your appointment, but ask your doctor to be sure, since some medications can cause inaccurate test results.

This depends to a great extent on the specific blood test ordered. It also depends upon the lab that will be processing your blood sample and compiling your tests results. Here at Health Testing Centers, most blood test results are delivered directly to the patient within one or two business days, although there are a few specific tests that can take slightly longer to complete.

Lab reports can look different, as each facility has its own reporting format. Yet all contain certain information which is mandated by federal legislation. Some labs include additional information that is not required. If you have specific questions on how to read your lab reports, ask for help from your healthcare provider.

Typically, lab reports include:

• Patient name and I.D. number.
• Name and address of the laboratory location where the test was performed.
• The date the test was administered and the test report date.
• Name of the healthcare provider ordering or authorizing the test.
• Specimen source (examples: blood, urine, spinal fluid).
• Date and time of specimen collection.
• Assigned sample number called an “accession number.”
• Test name, which may be abbreviated.
• Test results, usually in a number format; may also be shown as positive or negative or in text form.
• When test results are abnormal, attention is typically drawn to the result either through highlighting, setting them apart, or indicating with an “H” for high, “L” for low, or “WNL” meaning within normal limits.
• Dangerously abnormal results are called “critical results” and must be reported immediately to the person responsible for ordering the test, most often a healthcare provider. An asterisk (*) may be used to report the date and time the responsible person was notified.
• Measurement units can vary from lab to lab. Some use kilograms or other metric forms. Many results contain a number followed by a unit of measurement. (Example: 35 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL).
• Reference ranges are a list of “normal” ranges within which your results are expected to fall.
• Some labs may provide interpretation of results with an explanation of what certain tests can indicate.
• Specimen conditions, especially if lab criteria is not met. One example is a specimen received in less than good condition due to collection or storage problems. In these cases, a poor specimen may be noted on the report.

Be aware that some test results are false-positive, meaning that they show a condition or disease is present when it is not. A false-negative test doesn’t detect what is being tested for, even when the condition is present. Discuss all results with a healthcare provider, including those that are inconsistent or inconclusive.

While this varies according to the specific test or tests done, blood tests results generally display their findings of the targeted markers as compared to a normal range. An important thing to consider as you go over blood test results is that there is a reason that normal is expressed as a range, rather than an absolute number; No two people have the exact same normal. This natural variation among individuals is the reason that routine blood testing is recommended, because it works to establish your own personal baseline on important health markers – a baseline that can be compared to newer results year after year to track any changes in your health status.

So the bottom line is that abnormal test results may, depending upon the specific test, be cause for concern, especially if you are displaying other signs and symptoms of health issues or have tested cancerous, or they may simply be natural variations or prompted by diet, medications or other factors, rather than indications of ill-health. The exception to this rule are blood tests that give clear positive or negative results for the presence of disease-related markers – specific bacteria or viruses, for instance. For that reason, discussing your results with a healthcare provider or testing professional is a necessary component of the testing process.