Do I need my physician’s prescription to get my
blood testing done? A doctor’s order is not required to get your blood tested.
We offer the same testing as is available from your physician, but concentrate
our efforts on providing screening tests that help educate you on certain health
risk factors that can be indicators of a disease process. We recommend that all results received
from us should be copied to your physician for their review and inclusion in your medical records.
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Are there any hidden or additional costs? You are responsible for paying for the
test at the price quoted to you before we send you to the collection facility.
Our pricing on our tests represents a tremendous savings to you. NOTE:
Price increases do occur and while we make every effort to keep our prices
correct, they may vary. However, we guarantee that at no time will our prices
vary more than 10% of the listed price.
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Is this covered by my insurance? This depends on your insurance, but most
often if the deductible has been met the insurance pays 80%. We do not file for
your
any insurance. Some insurance companies do not pay for preventative health
screening because they consider catching a disease process early to not be
"medically necessary."
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Does Medicare pay for this? Medicare will not pay for wellness screening. They consider early detection to not be "medically necessary."
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If I tell my friends and family about this, can they have it done in another
state? Yes, We have made arrangements with a large reference laboratory for
collections across the United States. Contact us for instructions.
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Are the results of my testing kept strictly confidential? We make sure you are
the only one who receives your results. You specify to us how you want to
receive them and if you request, we will FAX your results to your physician.
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Will I be able to understand the results of my testing? What do I do with my
test results once I receive them? Along with refrigeration provided at our
wellness events we provide information along with your results
that guides you in understanding them. We strongly recommend that you always share your lab
results with your
physician.
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Where do I go to get my blood taken? Based on your location, contact us and we will provide you
with directions to our nearest facility.
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How long does it take to get my lab results? The large majority of the time your
results are available
within 48hrs, however, some tests may take longer than others depending upon the
type of test ordered.
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What methods of payment do you accept? Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American
Express, Check, Money Order, or cash.
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How do I know the lab results are accurate? We use the same leading reference
laboratories as your physician. We have made agreements with them for low cost
testing and for their accessibility across the U.S.
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Is there any preparation prior to having my blood drawn? If you are not a
diabetic, it is recommended that
you intake water only for at lest 8 hours prior to having your blood drawn.
However, your physician should be contacted if there is any questions concerning
your pre-test requirements.
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Why not wait get these tests done through my physician? Most physicians treat
illness and do not order testing that will reveal diseases in their early stages
or indicators of some lifestyle that is a health risk. When your physician does
order those tests, your insurance carriers and Medicare do not pay for what they
call "Medically Unnecessary" testing. Then you get billed directly from the
laboratory at prices several times higher than what we charge.
You should take charge of your health by beginning a regular program of monitoring your health, nor
should you depend on someone else to do it for you. You should monitor your
wellness indicators for early detection of a health risk.
Save yourself time and money by having the testing done before visiting your
physician. If he wants testing repeated, you may still call us to get the work
done again at the same low cost as before. You do not have to pay the high mark
up patient billing from laboratories.
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What is Osteoporosis? Osteoporosis, or "fragile bone" disease, is a loss of bone
that may lead to broken bones most often in the hip, wrist, and spine.
Osteoporosis can effect your appearance and your ability to perform and enjoy
daily activities. Additionally, the condition may be painful. Women are at
greater risk of osteoporosis than are men. In fact, of the 28 million Americans
who have the disease or who are at risk due to bone loss, 80% are women. A
woman’s risk of bone loss increases during and after menopause when her body
stops producing the hormone estrogen. By age 70 or older, some women have lost
about 30-50% of the bone they had during their early 30s.
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Can bone loss be prevented? The good news is that bone loss can be prevented.
Eat a balanced diet and take calcium and vitamin D supplements if necessary.
Exercise regularly, especially weight bearing exercise such as walking. Stop
smoking. If you’re going through menopausal or post menopausal, your doctor may
recommend estrogen replacement therapy. If you have osteoporosis, your doctor
may also prescribe medicine to build back lost bone.
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How are Stroke and Carotid Artery Disease related and what can I do to prevent
its occurrence? Stroke is a "brain attack". The technical term for a Stroke is a
Cardiovascular Accident or CVA. Strokes can be initiated by blockages in the
arteries leading to the brain. The leading cause of stroke is high cholesterol
or hypercholesterolemia. Fatty plaque deposits in the carotid arteries block blood flow to the brain. If the blockage becomes severe, blood flow may
be reduced enough to cause a stroke. More commonly the blockage can cause blood
clots to form that can break away and go into the brain causing a stroke.
Another complication of fatty plaque deposits is the break down of the plaque
sending small clumps of this material into the brain.
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What is the easiest way to detect carotid artery disease? One of the fastest,
easiest, and most reliable methods to detect carotid artery disease is ultrasound imaging; the same kind of imaging that is used to look at
babies before they are born. The ultrasound is used in a special way to see the
carotid arteries and also to assess the flow of arterial blood through the
arteries. This allows specific areas of the arteries to be examined for
blockages or the build up of fatty plaque deposits.
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Why should I get a Hepatitis B vaccination? If you are in the medical field and
have regular exposure to patients and bodily fluids, if you are a sanitation
worker, police officer, or firefighter if you travel out of the United States often you should get the
series of Hepatitis B vaccinations. Furthermore, you should test yourself
annually for your Hepatitis B Immunity Status. The vaccination does not give
lifetime immunity and must be retaken at about 6-year intervals. Another
important group that should get the Hepatitis A immunization are food service
workers with regular contact with customers and who have contact with dirty
plates and eating utensils.
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What time of year should I receive my flu vaccination? October through
December is the immunization window for Influenza. After receiving the vaccine,
approximately 10 days is required to develop effective resistance. The
resistance is effective for about 4-5 months.
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Why is exercise so important to Health and Wellness? The goals of exercise are
to improve oxygen delivery and metabolic processes, build strength and
endurance, decrease body fat, and improve movement in joints and muscles. All of
these benefits are essential to good health, and everyone should try to
incorporate an exercise routine into their daily lives. The American Heart
Association recommends individuals engage in 30-minute or longer workouts at
least three or four times a week, and exercising more than five times a week for
10 to 24 minutes each session may be closer to optimum.
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What benefits can I expect to realize by establishing a Health and Wellness
Program at my company? As many physicians have stated time after time, " An
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. " The measurable benefits of an
active Wellness Program are: the early detection, treatment or prevention of
future health
problems, increased employee awareness of their own Health Risks and the
resulting behavioral changes, decreased employee absenteeism and a directly
related increase in productivity, decreased insurance costs, and a decrease in
work-related accidents and injuries.
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Why is Workplace Ergonomics a current issue? Skeletal disorders caused by work
related repetitive motion is the fastest growing workplace injury. Teaching
employees proper techniques will increase efficiency in work performance and
decrease your Workman’s Compensation claims.
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Why should pre-employment drug screening be an important part of my hiring
process?
Screening potential employees for drug abuse is an excellent tool for
identifying potential problem employees prior to them becoming your liability
under state and federal ADA regulations. It also helps identify problems before
they become a workplace hazard.
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What is the difference between a D.O.T. and a non-D.O.T. Urine Drug Screen?
Department of Transportation requires mandatory drug
and alcohol testing on safety sensitive employees of Aviation, Transit,
Interstate Motor Carriers, Railroad, Pipeline, and Commercial Marine companies.
Compliance with these drug-testing regulations has become very important to
regulated companies because of recent D.O.T. funding to begin On-Site drug
testing compliance inspections. Non-compliance can result in fines and/or loss
of licenses.
Non-D.O.T. testing is a company’s #1 defense against substance abuse in the
workplace. Government statistics show that 71% of drug users are employed.
Because a single drug user can cost a company over $7,000 annually, it is
imperative a company be cautious and selective when hiring or continuing to
employ a known substance abuser. Substance abusers use health insurance and
worker’s compensation at a rate of up to 8 times the national average.
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Why should my company shoulder the expense of a drug-testing program?
Companies across the United States are learning that a drug testing program is
an effective way to REDUCE the costs of "skyrocketing" insurance, Worker’s
Compensation rates, low productivity, high accident rates, excessive
absenteeism, and high staff turn-over rates.
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Did you know?
Individuals with substance abuse problems
function at 67% of their capacity.
are 3.6 times more likely to have an accident.
have 2.5 times more accidents.
are 5 times more likely to file Worker's Comp claims.
are 7 times more likely to have their wages garnished.
have an estimated absentee rate of 30-35 days per year.
cause as much as 25% loss of salary through absenteeism, health care costs, and
poor productivity.
When tested post accident 33% tested positive for marijuana and 16.5% had been
drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana within the 5 hours prior to the accident.
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