Accurate diagnosis is the key to holistic healing. However, with rising cases of medical errors due to inaccurate diagnosis, it has become pivotal to ensure that all medical laboratory tests are undertaken at a credible lab. As even the slightest negligence in lab reports can prove detrimental to a patient’s health.
But how do you check a lab’s credibility? To be honest, there’s no specific formula or secret but there are some precautions that can help you to determine a lab’s credibility. To elaborate, if you browse for a lab test near me, you will come across various options. But wait! Don’t be impulsive.
Your impulsive decision of randomly selecting a particular lab can lead to serious repercussions with a risk of inaccurate diagnosis. Therefore, to avoid this unfortunate scenario, first, you need to analyze some factors for accurate lab selection.
Confused? Have a look at this list of factors that will help you to find a credible lab for your medical tests.
Location: As far as possible, avoid visiting labs that are located in shady places. While such labs may charge you a lower fee, the risk of medical report error is quite high with them. Hence, ensure to visit labs that are located in decent areas.
Credible certifications: Whenever you visit a particular lab, make it a point to check the certifications & licenses of labs that are generally put up in their offices. This simple act will give you a fair idea of a lab’s credibility and the code of ethics that they practice.
Price: Now we understand that price analysis of every test is practically impossible. But what you can do is just try to get a rough idea of charges for a simple blood test from 2-3 labs in your area. Likewise, you can even use the recommendations from other patients to find out the real picture.
Availability of Prompt Test Results: In case of medical emergencies, you simply can’t wait in for an entire day to get the results. Therefore, in such scenarios, it’s better to opt for those labs that have the prompt ‘lab results’ facility reserved specifically for medical emergencies.
Insurance acceptance: With digitized payments and advanced technologies, some labs have the lab costs insurance coverage facilities. Thus, in the event of expensive tests, a patient can simply use his/her medical insurance to cover all the lab costs.
Last but not the least, remember to get some basic knowledge about medical tests. For instance, if it’s a normal blood test, visit resources to get a basic idea of the entire process. Perhaps, this information will save you from unfortunate errors.
Having said that, we hope these insights on factors will make it simpler for you to find the right lab in your vicinity. Alternatively, if you live in a remote place, then you can even opt for the option of virtual labs.
New to this concept? Well, if that’s the scenario, then don’t worry. Thriving amidst digital healthcare, virtual medical laboratory tests are the new trends in the healthcare market. All you need to do is register with this online lab and book a test that you are looking for.
Depending upon your convenience and time mentioned, a lab technician will visit your house to collect the sample. Once the sample is sent across for the testing, you will receive the e-report of that particular test on your email.
You can immediately send this report to your concerned physician. Thus, this digitized process eliminates the crucial time wasted in manual transit. Sounds convenient, right?
Perhaps, it’s this convenience that has made this concept popular among a majority of individuals. For better insights, have a look at this article that highlights the pros of this medical advancement. However, there’s a tiny risk attached to this new trend.
The rise of data privacy issues can prove to be a grave matter of concern. Likewise, any human errors like a typo error can lead to a wrong diagnosis. Thus, although these virtual labs have been instrumental in increasing the pace of diagnosis, there’s a price attached to it.
While you can’t have an absolute lab credibility check, what you can do is be vigilant and analyze the lab for the factors that we have mentioned above. Correspondingly, you can also ask your physician or medical practitioner to recommend a good lab.
To conclude, irrespective of your tests, do not compromise on the lab quality for the price as that will only harm your health in the long run.