Lab orders
DTC lab orders are entered electronically by your physician, typically at the time of your previous appointment for your next appointment. You should get your labs completed approximately one week before your next scheduled appointment. Unless your provider indicates otherwise, the only typical labs ordered by DTC physicians that require you to be fasting are lipid panels. If you find that you do not have a lab order entered and are at the lab, please call 817-263-0007 and we will put in a stat request for your provider to enter lab orders for you while you are waiting at the lab. Even though a stat request, because the providers will be in clinic, it may take up to 30 minutes for this lab order to be entered. If you prefer, we can also print a paper lab order for you at the time of checkout for your future appointment.
Test Results
Your lab results will typically be given to your physician 48 hours to one week after you have your labs completed, depending on the specific test. After receipt of your labs, your physician will need time to review your labs and make care recommendations as necessary. For this reason, typical turnaround on lab results from DTC is approximately one week. It is possible that you may receive your lab values via a lab app on your phone before one week-this does not mean that your physician has had a chance to review your labs. If it has been greater than 10 business days and you have not received your lab results from your physician, please utilize NextMd to inquire on the status of your labs.
Insurance compliance/Lab Bills
Each insurance has “in network” lab providers where your labs must be sent. DTC will try to always be aware of your specific insurance plan’s in network lab provider. As insurance networks change frequently, please also be aware of which lab provider you need to use in order for your lab services to be most cost effective. Please notify your physician if you are aware of a specific in network lab. DTC will not be able to intentionally send lab orders to an out of network lab without your informed consent. In the event that this occurs by mistake, DTC will not be responsible for the lab bill. For this reason, it is very important that our patients partner with their DTC physician to make sure their care is as affordable as possible.
In the event that you receive a lab bill that seems very high, please contact the lab company first. If the lab company indicates that your lab was denied due to medical necessity or medical coding, please utilize NextMd with the specific test denied, the invoice number and the date of service. Your provider’s medical assistant may be able to submit additional coding to support the lab. In the event that specific labs are not covered services with your insurance, DTC will not be able to submit coding to cover the lab. It is important for you to be aware of your lab coverage and discuss any of these concerns with your provider prior to receiving the labs. Additionally, certain insurances only cover a certain number of tests per year. This coverage applies to all providers across your care. Please ensure that you do not receive any labs outside of your coverage limits unless you are comfortable with the lab costs associated as DTC will not be able to credit or remove lab charges once they are received by a patient as these lab services are not billed by DTC.