How the Best Diagnostic Labs Provide Service

<P>Diagnostic Labs provide testing of tissue, blood and other bodily fluids and then the results are sent to doctors, treatment centers and sometimes hospitals that dont have labs or have too much volume of testing to handle on site. Diagnostic lab services become the test results that are interpreted by the doctor and described to the patient.  The diagnostic lab test can be something like a test for strep throat, blood work, or testing a sample from a biopsy or surgical procedure. </P> <P>Diagnostic Labs provide critical information to the doctors for diagnosing diseases like cancer, leukemia and others like vitamin D deficiency testing.  Once the doctor knows what the tissue or fluid tested contains, then (s) he can decide what course of treatment to provide for the patient.  Having accurate and timely results is the key to keeping the medical treatment moving forward.  Depending on the diagnostic lab test, a patient may need more surgery, a specific medication or perhaps, some ongoing treatment like chemotherapy.  Until all the tests come back, the patient must wait to begin planning with their doctor.  If a cancer diagnosis hangs in the balance, then the faster the results are processed and returned, the faster treatment of some kind can begin.  </P> <P>Diagnostic lab services may perform drug testing for various employers, sports teams and even school districts.  Some may specialize in veterinary services rather than human ones, but many of the tests are similar for animals as they are for people.  Whether a lab is for human diagnostics or for animal diagnostics, all labs have specific procedures around handling the specimens or samples, cleaning routines, disposal or storage of samples and the recording and compiling the report presented to the doctor.  These routines must be strictly adhered to because if there is an accident with the samples during testing, then the information gathered for the doctor and ultimately the patient is not valid or useful.  The routines are followed the same way each time to yield results that are reliable.  </P> <P>Many labs are run as for profit enterprises, so they will contract with a doctor, vet, clinic school district or hospital to perform their laboratory testing for a fee.  Some of the cost for these services may be passed along to the patients in some cases because insurance policies will typically pay only a certain amount for a test.  If a lab charges more for that service, then the remainder may be billed to the patient.  These charges may be appealed and in some cases will be reduced or eliminated, but the process can be time consuming and unpleasant. If you dont have insurance, the lab may bill you for the full cost directly.  Sometimes, you can work out a payment plan, if it is too much to pay at one time.</P> <P>Diagnostic Labs are the critical piece often in diagnosing an illness or disease.  A patients symptoms paint a picture and point to a diagnosis, but to confirm it, a lab test is usually needed.  Other times, like in the case of an allergy, there might be nonspecific symptoms that could point to a few different causes.  In this case, the lab tests are important to rule out some of the illnesses and to narrow down the causes for the symptoms.  A lab that provides consistently accurate and timely results is one that can be counted on by the doctors and veterinarians.  Getting the results to the patient can keep treatment on course and can provide peace of mind to the patient regardless of whether the tests are good or yield news of a feared illness.</P>