Why Have Laboratory Testing Done At An Urgent Care Center?

More and more, people are choosing to have blood work and laboratory testing done at urgent care centers. This is likely for some of the same reasons people choose urgent care centers for anything else:

  • Urgent care is more convenient; usually in your neighborhood and open after normal business hours.
  • Efficiency is generally higher at an urgent care center. This is due to the handling of only a short list of urgent health situations at most urgent care centers.
  • They’re a more affordable option. This is generally due to most urgent care centers having such a short list of emergency situations they need to handle on a daily basis.

Most hospital settings are naturally busier than most urgent care centers. Your laboratory test may be lower on the list of priorities in triage at the hospital than it would be at an urgent care center. That’s one of the many reasons why an urgent care center can be your best option to consider when getting testing done.

Convenience
Think about this: who wants to schedule a lab test with their doctor two weeks in advance? It’s an inconvenience for most people and doesn’t factor in any last minute or unexpected events that may prohibit you from making your appointment. With urgent care, however, you can get the lab test you need the same day you walk in. At an Urgent Care center, you can check-in online or just show up for your next blood test!

Efficiency
Sitting in a waiting room isn’t fun. No amount of lobby magazines or television channels can replace the time you’ll waste just sitting around. At an urgent care center, the time spent waiting for a provider is minimal, especially with online check-in. You’ll generally get in and out of most urgent care centers in under 3 hours. Prompt and efficient service are just a few of the biggest perks resulting in the rise of urgent care centers as a viable healthcare provider. Going in for lab services and prompt blood test results is no different.

Affordability
A big part of what makes urgent care centers so great is the low cost of most services you’ll receive. Most urgent care centers are significantly less expensive than going to an ER. In fact, there’s generally a very high chance your insurance will be accepted. This, of course, isn’t a 100% certainty. But even without insurance, you’re much better off paying out-of-pocket at an urgent care center than a hospital due to the overall price differences alone!

List of Urgent Care Lab Services
See below for a list of common lab tests and services offered by most urgent care centers. Please note: these are just some examples of the laboratory services offered by most urgent care centers. Some providers may not offer every service listed below. Services include:

  • Phlebotomy aka Blood Tests. Any number of tests to determine the health of organs and identify potential diseases. Blood tests are sometimes processed in a separate laboratory and may take a few hours, or even days, to process. These tests may sometimes bill separately, so prepare yourself for any unexpected costs.
  • Point of Care Testing. Medical testing outside the clinical laboratory for things like rapid flu, rapid mono, blood sugar, urinalysis, and urine-based pregnancy tests. These tests are performed in the clinic and the results are immediately available.
  • Imaging. Chest X-rays, extremity x-rays, and EKG testing allow us to see a visual representation of the body for analysis.
  • Specialty Exam Services. Commercial driver’s license exams, pre-participation exams for youth sports, workers compensation injury evaluation, urgent women’s health exams, and physical therapy.

To learn more about Laboratory services in New Jersey, contact NJ Doctors Urgent Care. From our urgent care clinic to our fully equipped testing labs, we’ve got you covered! We have two locations available for your convenience: Pompton Plains (973) 530-4362 and Sayreville (732) 952-3627 .

We perform PCR testing for Covid, Influenza and RSV for ALL ages. Just walk in, no appointment needed.