In-Office Labs

What are in-office labs?

In-office labs are a convenient and fast way to monitor your health and find the cause of any symptoms you experience.

Many health care providers don’t have onsite testing facilities, meaning patients must travel to other locations, a time-consuming and less satisfactory option. MPA Direct Primary Care performs most screening and diagnostic testing onsite.

What kind of in-office labs might I need?

The MPA Direct Primary Care team offers various testing services that cover most patients’ requirements. Lab tests can detect numerous abnormalities, including:

Infections

Specific lab tests MPA Direct Primary Care offers include COVID-19, flu (influenza), strep throat, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Nutrient deficiencies

Lacking essential nutrients can have multiple effects on the body, some potentially life-threatening. One of the most common nutrient deficiencies is anemia (lack of iron in the blood).

Hormone testing

Hormones are potent chemicals that transmit messages from your brain to your organs. They control everything from metabolism to reproduction. An imbalance can cause wide-ranging mental and physical health problems, including diabetes, thyroid disease, and menopause symptoms.

Chronic diseases

Lab tests often identify abnormal cells and other disease indicators for long-term conditions like cancer. The Pap smear that women undergo is a typical example, detecting human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (the primary cause of cervical cancer) and changes in the cervical cells that happen when cancer starts to develop.

In addition to these and other in-office labs, you might require diagnostic imaging such as X-rays, an ultrasound scan, MRI, or CT scan. For example, X-rays can detect problems with the bones and joints and conditions like pneumonia that cause a fluid build up in the lungs. If you need advanced diagnostic imaging like an MRI, the team provides a referral to a local facility.

What does in-office lab testing involve?

Lab tests use various samples of your body’s cells and fluids. Some, like stool samples, you collect at home in a special container and bring to the practice for testing. Others require cell or discharge samples your provider collects on a cotton swab. These tests are generally simple and painless.

A blood test requires having a needle in an arm vein to collect the sample, which may cause some brief discomfort — your provider can give you a numbing cream beforehand if you’re concerned about a blood draw.

Call the office or book an appointment online today to learn more about the MPA Direct Primary Care team’s in-office lab facilities.