Urgent Care Lab Testing Services in Fairfax, VA

Laboratory tests take urine, blood, or other tissue substances from your body and are used to help diagnose diseases and a number of conditions, and they help with your overall health and well-being. Lab tests, which capture a clear picture of what’s going on in your body, help identify changes in your health before symptoms may occur, and they help diagnose or aid in diagnosing a disease or condition, as well as help plan your treatment for a disease or condition. Additionally, laboratory testing helps evaluate your response to a specific treatment and helps monitor a disease over time. In a typical lab test, your doctor will send your blood or urine to a laboratory for testing. The lab is where a number of tests can be performed and they conduct tests on the sample to see if it contains different substances, and how much. Depending on what is being tested, the absence or presence, or amount of an analyte might mean you have a particular condition, or it may mean that you don’t have a particular condition. In some cases, labs may compare your results to previous lab tests to see if there have been any changes in your condition. Lab tests may also help your doctor find problems early, when treatments or lifestyle changes may work best.

Laboratory testing is often a qualifying medical expense under Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). At Prima Urgent Care in Fairfax, VA, patients can use their HSA or FSA cards for eligible blood work, urine tests, infection screenings, and other diagnostic services recommended for medical reasons. This allows patients to use funds set aside for healthcare expenses when laboratory testing is needed.

Whether a particular test qualifies depends on its medical purpose and the patient’s HSA or FSA plan. Patients may also use these accounts to pay eligible expenses that remain after insurance, such as deductibles and copayments. Prima Urgent Care accepts HSA and FSA cards for qualifying laboratory services, making it convenient to manage testing expenses during a visit.

There are a number of lab tests that your doctor may have performed in order to get a better understanding of your overall health.

Here is a list of common lab tests:

• Complete blood count: Measures the numbers and types of cells in the blood, like red and white cells and platelets.
• Urinalysis: A general screening test to check for early signs of disease.
• Prothrombin Time: Measures how long it takes for blood to clot.
• Cultures: Used to test for diagnosis and treatment of infections.
• Basic metabolic panel: Measures the sodium, glucose, calcium, carbon dioxide, chloride, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine.
• Comprehensive metabolic panel: Combinations of a number of tests that help evaluate metabolic functions with a main focus on organ systems.
• Lipid Panel: A group of tests that help evaluate cardiac risk.
• Liver panel: A combination of tests to assess liver function and establish the possible presence of liver tumors.
• Thyroid stimulating hormone: A test that screens and monitors the function of the thyroid.
• Hemoglobin A1C: A test that is used to diagnose and monitor diabetes.

Lab tests and diagnostic procedures are used in order to measure a patient’s health; that is to see if it is normal. For example, a lab can test a sample of your urine or blood to see if there is something wrong, while a diagnostic test, like blood pressure testing, can help show if you have high blood pressure.

It is not uncommon for your doctor to recommend blood tests from time to time, and your doctor may also have one done when you visit for your annual check-up. The tests that your doctor may order will likely depend on a number of factors: lifestyle, family history, medical history, and age. Lab tests typically involve an examination of your blood or urine and test results are typically turned around quite quickly, thanks to cutting-edge technology. Lab test results and timing of course are dependent on what’s being tested and how many tests are required.

For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 3903 Fair Ridge Dr Suite Q, Fairfax, VA 22033. We serve patients from Fairfax VA, South Riding VA, Dulles VA, Chantilly VA, Stone Ridge VA, Oakton VA, Legato VA, Burke VA, Oak Hill VA, Lees Corner VA & BEYOND! Our Fairfax location is close to Fair Oaks Hospital, Fair Oaks Mall, and Greenbriar Shopping Center.