Your test helps your doctor determine your overall health, diagnose disease and decide your treatment. Laboratory tests will provide valuable information about your health to you and your doctor.

The time it takes for test results to be available depends on various factors, such as the type of test, method used, and where the particular test was performed. It may take a few hours or up to several days after the sample is received at the lab depending upon the type of test.

There are many factors that determine the cost of a lab test, including the type of test, where the test is performed.

You need to fast if your doctor has ordered a fasting test. This means that you cannot eat anything and may only drink clear water for 12-14 hours prior to your test. You should continue to take your medications unless otherwise instructed by your doctor. Some common fasting tests include: fasting glucose, fasting lipid panel, fasting metabolic panel, fasting cholesterol, HDL or triglyceride. If you are uncertain about whether or not you should fast, please contact your healthcare provider.

If your doctor did not tell you how long to fast, you should not eat anything and only drink clear water for approximately 12-14 hours prior to the test.

Because certain test results may be influenced by what you eat or drink, we prefer that you do not have your blood drawn if your tests were ordered as fasting.

No, you can only have clear water prior to a fasting test for 12-14 hours, or for the time period that your healthcare provider has instructed.

No, you do not need to make an appointment.

For blood tests, First, the skin over the vein is cleaned with alcohol or an antiseptic. Next, a tourniquet is wrapped around the upper arm to enlarge the veins in the lower arm by restricting blood flow through them. A small needle is gently inserted into a vein and the tourniquet is removed. Blood flows from the vein through the needle and is collected in a syringe or blood tube. After the needle is taken out, the puncture site is covered for a short time to stop any bleeding. You will be told how to collect urine samples, stool, sputum, semen, or other specimens that can be collected at home.

There are a few reasons why a test may be repeated. For example:
1. A test may be repeated when a result indicates that you may have a disease or condition. Repeat test results that match the initial results confirm a diagnosis. For example, if the results from a fasting glucose test are high, the test is repeated. If it is high again, then a diagnosis of diabetes is confirmed.
2. If a result does not seem to fit with your overall health level, such as your signs and symptoms and physical exam results, your health care provider may reorder the test. Here are a few examples of why the results can be unexpected:
A. It is possible that the substance measured in the test happened to be high or low because of something you ate, recent physical exercise, or another circumstantial situation.
B. Though uncommon, errors due to improper processing or transportation of the sample (such as refrigeration issues, exposure to heat, etc.) can affect the accuracy of results.
3. A test may be repeated if there was not enough sample collected to perform the full panel of tests, or if the sample was not collected properly. For instance, if you do not collect all of your urine for a 24-hour urine test, it may need to be repeated.