Medical Lab Testing Dallas, TX

Question:  The lab tests I need are expensive and I have to get them regularly.  I do not have insurance.  How do I know I am getting the best price on a lab test?

Answer:  Healthcare is changing and I get asked this question all the time.  I have even had people try to barter with me for lab tests here in Dallas, TX.  The days of paying your doctor with a baby goat may be coming back.

Here is the answer to your question.  First to ensure that you are getting the best price for your lab tests you need to call around.  Quest Diagostics, LabCorp & Any Lab Test Now are three I will use in this example.  For the best price you will want to call your local store/lab.   If you call the national hotline you will get national pricing which may be higher than local prices. 

Next, get pricing not only for the tests individually, but also ask if those tests come in a panel.  A panel is a group of lab tests that are commonly ordered together.  Many times you get a large discount on lab tests by ordering the panel, even if you get more tests than you need. 

Finally, look for a coupon or discount/promo code online.  Lab testing is a competitive business and these guys really want you to use them.  If you can not find discounts online then you need to ask over the phone.  I know this may sound strange since we are often told what to pay by doctors/labs and pay without question.  Just last week a lady came into my lab and requested a discount for DNA paternity tests on her four children.  She was going through a divorce and the court ordered the tests.  A legal paternity test runs about $449 each so you can see why she was looking for a discount.  Needless to say, we gave her a buy 3 get one free discount and she was very happy.

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Thrombocytopenia, what is that you ask? Its the condition known as low platelet count. What are platelets, they are blood cells that help your blood clot when you are bleeding. This means that platelets cause clumps to form in the blood vessels to stop bleeding.

Some of the signs or symptoms are easy bruising,bleeding into the skin that appears as it may be a rash, prolonged bleeding from cuts, and blood in urine or stools.

The causes of thrombocytopenia is usually marked by an underlying problem. Such problems are leukemia and some anemias may cause your overall platelet count to be low. Also ITP, could be a factor. This is where your immune system mistakenly attacks the platelets. Blood poisoning is another cause of this condition. As well as Lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, these are autoimmune disorders that could destroy platelets as well.

You should see a doctor when you have abnormal bleeding or bruising. Also if you develop a rash of pin point sized spots on your body.

The tests for this disease are a blood test or a more extensive test called a bone marrow. They go in and pull a piece of bone and send it off to see where the platelets are going and to see if you are making enough of them.

Treatment of this disease vary, and here are a few of the solutions. They include the useof medications, but in the rare case that those dont work. then they remove the spleen.This is done of the meds dont respond or it gets worse. There is also the procedure of plasma transfusions. This is only done in the most severest of cases that have lost a great deal of blood.

In cases that your platelets are too low, they will ask that you stop taking any aspirins that you are taking. They will ask that you stay away from contact sports, this is done to reduce the risk of injury and or bleeding.

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Flu Shots Availability

This morning on the local Dallas news it was reported that CVS, Walgreens and many physicians are sold out of seasonal flu shots.  They are attributing this to media attention on the flu as well as pharmaceuticals not providing as many seasonal flu vaccines this year.  A BDI Pharmaceuticals sales representative stated that less seasonal flu vaccines were produced this year in order to ramp up for H1N1 vaccine production.

Any Lab Test Now® North Dallas locations are reporting they still have plenty of seasonal flu shots available.  The cost is $20 when purchased individually or free with the purchase of any $49 or more lab test.  Therefore, men can get a $49 PSA test and a free flu shot.  Participating locations include Any Lab Test Now® Plano & Any Lab Test Now® McKinney. 

In a previous blog post I believe I researched and found that on average 30,000 people die every year from the regular seasonal flu.  It would be my guess that having less high risk individuals getting vaccinated this year will lead to a very high death rate.  Dallas talk radio (820am) this morning stated that more seasonal flu vaccines are in production; however, they will not be available until January 2010. 

Do you think H1N1 will cause even more deaths or grossly over-publicized?   A North Dallas physician who asked to remain nameless expressed his personal opinion.  He believes the H1N1 virus is similar in genetic makeup to a swine flu virus that swept the US in the 1970s.  Adults who fought this strain of the flu in the 70’s probably will have immunity to H1N1.  This theory could be a reason the H1N1 is not hitting the adult population very hard.  Reports are showing that children ages 4-18yrs are getting sore throat, stomach ache, diarrhea and nausea.  Adults however are only reporting stomach aches. 

The fact that most adults are not expressing all the symptoms may lead the virus to spread easier.  If an adult was hit hard this could limit them from being able to go to work thereby quarantining themselves.  I have also noticed every H1N1 related death I have researched occurred in an individual with a secondary infection.

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National Healthcare

Many Americans think President Obama’s free healthcare is a good idea and do not see what all the fuss is about.  Lately, democrat politicians claim the tea party meetings are republican organized and do not actually represent a viable percentage of their constituents.  California has had a similar free healthcare system in place now and statistics used in this blog are taken from the LA Times.

40% of the 10.2 million workers in LA County are paid under the table in cash and never report this income to the government to be taxed.  It is speculated that majority of these payments are made because at least one party is an illegal alien.  I believe it is safe to say that those that are not illegal do not want to report their income due to the high taxes they would have to pay.

Here are some numbers that show how not enforcing immigration laws is weighing down on society while costing Americans millions in taxes, food, housing and healthcare.  95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.  3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.  Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally, and 29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.  The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border. 

The numbers are staggering.  Taxpayers can not handle the current government programs and entitlements not counting a new healthcare system.  We are currently feeling the birth pains of how big government spending will affect all parts of the US.  Dallas, Texas is not as far along as the rest of the nation, but we are all in this together.  Similar to Robin Hood, once more liberal states have taxed their citizens into economic poverty they will take from states they are in better situations than themselves to pay for their programs.  I read a month or two ago that Governor Rick Perry uttered that he would rather succeed from the Union if nationalized healthcare is passed. 

Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal , whose births were paid for by taxpayers.  My wife and I are about to have a baby, not covered by our HSA, and the doctor’s fee is $2,600 the lab fees/sonograms total $1200, and the hospital stay is estimated $8,500.  How in the world do they justify taxpayers paying for someone else’s baby?  I realize the reason our bill is so high is because we must pay for another patient that won’t pay.  When you break it all down, hospitals are businesses and businesses make money.  If they don’t make money, they go out of business. 

Here are some cake-topper statistics to show that illegals will be covered by a healthcare system they do not contribute to.  Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages, and nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.

What is happening currently in the US is we are creating a slave class.  I think it is horrible.  These individuals must live in poverty and stay under the radar of society in order to stay in the US.  I know several illegals.  One man is beat about once a week by his alcoholic employer.  He can’t report the crime for fear of deportation and he is told that if he quits his employer will have him deported.  This is slavery plain and clear.  Illegals are paid under the table and have found it necessary to their survival to abuse loopholes in the system.  You may argue that all Americans were once immigrants, but the difference is we came here legally.  If all the estimated 12 million illegals in the US were granted amnesty you would see why the US can not handle this many immigrants all at once.  Our system of capitalism thrives in situations of population growth, but this is an extreme exception.  Our economy can not sustain this growth, let alone implementing a new healthcare system.

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