Get Your Own Blood Test Online

[franco45]

I posted this in one of the groups, but think it warrants it on place.

There are a number of places on line that offer any blood test you may want. You pick the test and pay and they send an order to the closest LabCorp office. A few days later you get an email with the results.
I had a test that I wanted ,but my insurance would not pay for it. Doc office wanted $225. I got in on line for $69.
There are many companies on line. The two I have used are Requestatest.com and privatemdlabs.com
Check with both as prices are different. Also do a web search for coupons. I usually find at least a10% discount.

 

[braumeister]

I've used requestatest several times. There's a Labcorp office near my house, so it's very convenient. Prices are decent, too. It saves a lot of hassle making an appointment to get a test done at the doc's office, when often it's just for my own information. It was very handy when the particle size test was new and the doc wasn't yet offering it.

 

[jetpack]

Yeah, I will be following this route in the future. Even under the ACA, they still billed me hundreds for routine blood tests.

 

[donheff]

I used that service when I wanted to see the impact of dietary changes on cholesterol and triglycerides. It was easy, fast and cheaper than going thru my doctor.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

I would love to do this but don't follow the math. Because of insurance, I can have one physical per year covered with some low co-pay. Like $30. I would want the Men's Health Panel which is $219. So doing it directly would cost me $189 more. Will insurance cover if Doctor does not order it?

 

[franco45]

This service is for those that want test that are not covered by insurance.

 

[Mulligan]

I'm thinking about going this type of route on testing and just skipping the doctor all together. Whenever I have done testing in the
past all I get is a call from the secretary saying everything is ok and I do not even know what the ok numbers are. If something flares up then I will go to the doctor. It would save me money and I would get relevant feedback for myself.

 

[donheff]

Read an article in Wired about a company called Theranos that has developed a ultra cheap panel of blood tests using a pin-prick drop of blood. So far it is only available at Walgreens in some west coast markets but supposedly ready to roll out nationally. You can check out locations at their web site.

 

[jetpack]

Here's another one: https://www.directlabs.com/OrderTests/tabid/55/language/en-US/Default.aspx

I had just spend a couple hundred on this basic test it through my doctor with insurance.
$29 online..

 

[growing_older]

Have not tried any of these lab test online places, but the pricing models match what I have seen for medical devices. In many cases, devices bought with prescriptions and insurance end up with deductibles and co-pay that are still higher than the item can be bought outright on the internet. Because the starting price is so high, negotiated down to what insurance will pay, then applying co-pay and deductible, not only does the patient often pay more than open market cost for the item, but the insurance is paying at least something for it, too. The inefficiency and waste in the system are astonishing.

I have had a problem with labs the doctor ordered not being approved by insurance, in which case I end up paying the original inflated price. That doesn't have to happen very often until I would have been ahead by ignoring insurance and just getting lower priced labs, even if I pay myself, instead of playing insurance lotto to see what they might cover.

You could argue that the doctor ordered it, but it is unreasonable to expect the doctor to know what is covered on all the various plans. Even when I call the insurance company, they often don't know what's covered on the own plan. It changes often, and I can get different answers from different reps.

 

[DUFUS]

I'm thinking about going this type of route on testing and just skipping the doctor all together. Whenever I have done testing in the
past all I get is a call from the secretary saying everything is ok and I do not even know what the ok numbers are. If something flares up then I will go to the doctor. It would save me money and I would get relevant feedback for myself.

My feelings exactly.

 

[zinger1457]

One thing that Aetna started doing 3-4 years ago that I like is that they post all of your lab test results to your online account. It's nice to be able to go back and compare blood test results from one year to the next.

 

[Elbata]

Read an article in Wired about a company called Theranos that has developed a ultra cheap panel of blood tests using a pin-prick drop of blood. So far it is only available at Walgreens in some west coast markets but supposedly ready to roll out nationally. You can check out locations at their web site.

I read that article too just a few hours ago. That would be a company I'd invest in, only they're private. This kind of business really excites me. I'd love to be invested, but even if not, I wish them huge success.

Regarding lab tests on line: You don't need a doctor's permission first?

And I must be doing something wrong--everytime I try to put in a coupon code to get a discount it never works. For instance today I bought a ticket on line for the Natural History Museum and they had this code box to get a discount. I checked for codes to put in on the internet and nothing worked.

 

[meierlde]

I read that article too just a few hours ago. That would be a company I'd invest in, only they're private. This kind of business really excites me. I'd love to be invested, but even if not, I wish them huge success.

Regarding lab tests on line: You don't need a doctor's permission first?

And I must be doing something wrong--everytime I try to put in a coupon code to get a discount it never works. For instance today I bought a ticket on line for the Natural History Museum and they had this code box to get a discount. I checked for codes to put in on the internet and nothing worked.

Actually you don't need a physicians order if you don't want the insurance to pay for it. There are a number of traditional style labs that will do tests, if you pay by credit card with no physician involvement needed.
Actually its interesting to see the work on small test volumes come close to fruition. It was first started to handle developing countries. where the cost levels involved are more needed than the US.

 

[franco45]

coupons

I usually have to try several before I find one that works.. no big deal if I don't find one, they are usually on 10%

 

[MooreBonds]

I'm thinking about going this type of route on testing and just skipping the doctor all together. Whenever I have done testing in the
past all I get is a call from the secretary saying everything is ok and I do not even know what the ok numbers are. If something flares up then I will go to the doctor. It would save me money and I would get relevant feedback for myself.

I had a standard panel of blood work done with a checkup I had about 10 years ago (at that time, was my first check-up since probably my college days, or 10 years prior to that). She didn't even let me look at a copy of the results in the office and merely said "everything looks ok". I asked my general practitioner for a copy of my blood work test results. She asked me why I wanted them. I told her that since it was my blood and my health, I felt that I was entitled to a copy of the information on what is going on in my body!

Sheesh..the nerve of some patients!

Since then, I have had 2 other sets of blood work done just for routine testing to keep tabs on my general health and see what some trends are. Both of the last 2 I ordered straight on-line and didn't go through my doctor.

I realize that GPs don't want people to order their own blood work and interpret the results themselves because the average layman can miss trends or other things that a doctor may spot...but sometimes it just gets a little frustrating.