Is there a service that will draw blood and send it wherever you want?

[Little Bluestem]

NOTE: This is an old thread. Recent posts are at the bottom.

I am still seeing a physician I like in a city where I once lived that is 1.5 hours away from where I live now. I would like to get some testing done before my next appointment, so that we can discuss the results at the appointment.

A couple of years ago she decided that she will only accept lab results from a specific set of labs. That means I would have to make a 3 hour round trip just to get blood drawn. She will accept test drawn at other doctors’ offices who use the same labs that she does, but she does not know of any out my direction.

In reading about labs that do test directly for clients without a physicians order, I thought I also read something about a service that will draw blood and sent it wherever you want. I cannot find it in my notes now. Does anyone know of such a service or am I dreaming? (Even if it exists, the likelihood of it doing business in my rural area is probably small.)

 

[Sherlock]

I'd try researching in reverse: call the lab(s) where you want the sample sent and ask them about who might draw it and send it to them.

 

[alice]

Little Bluestem, our local hospital does blood draws for kits from out of town labs. I don't know, but they may even do blood draws and supply the tubes if the referenced lab tells them which collection tubes are needed.for a certain test. I'd call the hospital near you and inquire about it.

My local hospital here has done many blood draws and mailed them to out-of-town labs for me I am not sure how the hospital gets reimbursed for this service. I have not had to pay any charges imposed by the hospital for the blood draw, although I do have to pay the receiving lab if the requested test is not covered by insurance (in my case, Medicare).

btw, my doctor also requires some of my labs to be drawn by a certain lab (for instance, LabCorp), but we live in a larger city and so this is no problem. Apparently some doctors trust certain labs more or a particular labs does the testing in a different way. Hope this helps

 

[Little Bluestem]

Thanks, both of you. I think I will start with the local hospital, since that is just one call. If that doesn't pan out, I can get a list of the labs my doctor uses and start calling them. My appointment is next week, so I am stuck getting the test done there this time. This will give me something to work on before my next appointment.

 

[Ema]

In my area of the Midwest, Quest labs will draw blood and ship it for specialized tests. I think the fee is about $25.

You can check your location here:

https://secure.questdiagnostics.com/hcp/psc/jsp/SearchLocation.do?newSearch=FindLocation

 

[Little Bluestem]

Thanks Ema, that is a good idea. Unfortunately, their nearest lab is less than a mile closer than the one in the same city as my doctor. I wouldn't be surprised if my doctor uses Quest for any tests that are not done at the associated hospital. That would make shipping from my local hospital fairly simple.

 

[SickOfSickness]

Yes, Quest did it for me, but LabCorp would not do it.

 

[Little Bluestem]

Well, I've been back to see my doctor. I did call the local hospital, but they will only draw blood and ship it elsewhere if it for a test that they do not do there. It seems everyone is protecting their own turf. I just got the blood drawn after my appointment.

I had a call from her office today wanting to set up an appointment to go over the test results. I explained that because of the distance, she sent the results to me. The caller said, "Not this time. She wants you to come here to discuss them". Now I am really pissed! Not only do I have to make two 3-hour round trips, but I have to pay for two doctor appointments.

 

[taniaaust1]

sorry to hear you are being put throu that Little Bluestem, can you ring the doctor yourself and tell her its too hard for you to get there and ask for your test results then?

The alternative would be to go to a local doctor close to you and get them to get a copy of the blood test results for you from which ever lab did them.

 

[Misfit Toy]

The local doctor probably isn't into CFS if in a rural setting. Why can't she talk to you on the phone? Phone appt. I would put up a bit of a fuss before caving in and going. Afterall, if she believes in CFS, she should understand. The dichotomy of it all. Ugh!

 

[Ema]

Now I am really pissed! Not only do I have to make two 3-hour round trips, but I have to pay for two doctor appointments.

It's a racket. I totally agree and feel your pain.

Will she at least let you do a phone consult?

Ema

 

[caledonia]

I recently used a lab called "Any Lab Test Now". I believe this is a national chain (US). They handled my request for an unusual test without even blinking, and the price was very reasonable. I would go back there again.

 

[Little Bluestem]

taniaaust1, I live in a very rural area and I doubt that I could find a doctor that would know what to do with a complete thyroid panel or even a complete iron panel. I also don’t know it the labs would send the result to a doctor other than the one who ordered them.

The Spitfire & Ema, I has occurred to me to ask if she will do a telephone consult. I haven’t done it yet. I’ll let you know the result when I do. That would save me the drive, but not the money.

caledonia, the problem is that my doctor will not accept the results from any but ‘her’ labs. I would be on my own interpreting them. If I thought that they indicated that I needed a prescription medication, I would be out of luck. I also lack the background that some people here have that makes them reasonably competent at interpreting their labs. (None-the-less, I have made note of Any Lab Test Now.)

 

[caledonia]

I find this whole situation unusual. My doc is 4 hours away. I go to see him twice a year. If he wants me to do any labs, he writes a script while I'm there, then I go home and do a Quest blood draw. They send him the results and he lets me know the interpretation.

If it's in between visits, he just mails me a script and the same thing happens.

One time he drew some blood right in the office, and I guess had it sent to "his" lab.

My suggestion would be to see her on a regular basis, then time the labs for when you're in town. So see her and get the labs done at the same time.

I don't understand this thing about she wants to see you in person to deliver the interpretation. Unless it's something really complex (which most labs aren't), it sounds like an excuse to charge for another office visit. I like the idea suggested to do a telephone consultation.

I guess your other option is to get a new doc, but I understand about wanting to stick with a good doc once you finally find one.

 

[Little Bluestem]

I do normally see her and get the labs done at the same time because the blood is drawn in her office. Then she would send me the results and her recommendations or have one of her staff call me with the same.

I am wanting to get the labs done ahead of time, so I can discuss the results with her. Any discussions we have during my visit assume I am still in the same state as I was 6 months before when my previous labs were done.

My parents have out-of-area doctors who FAX test orders to the local hospital, so that they can get labs done before their appointment, but my doctor will not do this. The local hospital will not draw blood and sent it to the labs that she uses.

I don’t get the sudden need to deliver the results in person either. I am going to see if she will do a telephone consultation, but I will still be paying for two appointments. In this rural area, trying to find another doctor is pointless.

 

[Valentijn]

I don’t get the sudden need to deliver the results in person either.

Maybe she has REALLY bad news to deliver (that you ME?) and wants to make sure you don't have a heart attack.