California law requires primary care physicians to see patients within 10 business days for non-urgent care. Specialty care physicians must see patients within 15 business days. Urgent care centers have become important in health care as patients have the right to see an urgent care doctor within 48 hours if their health insurance doesn’t require prior authorization or 96 hours if prior approval is required.
Urgent care fills gaps in health care when primary care doctors aren’t yet available and the situation doesn’t call for an emergency room visit. Urgent care offers the care you’d get at a doctor’s office and many of the same services available in an ER. This includes lab tests. All of the following lab tests are available at urgent care.
Basic Metabolic Panel
While some tests can be done individually, a basic metabolic panel is kind of a catch-all test that checks the levels of:
- Blood urea nitrogen
- Calcium
- Carbon dioxide
- Creatinine
- Electrolytes
- Glucose
When the results are abnormal, doctors will continue to run lab tests to check for diabetes, liver or kidney issues, dehydration, or heart failure.
Blood Urea Nitrogen
A BUN test determines if urea nitrogen levels are higher than they should be. When the BUN test finds extremely high levels, it can indicate kidney damage. The test involves the collection of a blood sample.
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
A CBC looks at the red and white cells within your blood. It also looks at the size of the cells, hemoglobin, and platelets. When they’re abnormal, it indicates anemia, cancer, or some type of infection.
Drug Test
Many employers want a drug test performed after providing a job offer to a new employee. It’s a simple urine test that looks for the presence of illegal drugs.
Electrolyte Panel
A serum electrolyte panel looks at the levels of key electrolytes in the blood. The test looks at bicarbonate, calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and sodium. An imbalance can indicate dehydration or overhydration.
Glucose Test
A blood glucose test measures the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood. You might have this test after drinking a glucose solution or after fasting. High levels indicate pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Lipid Panel
A lipid panel is a blood test that looks at the levels of fats within your blood. It measures your total cholesterol levels and:
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is your bad cholesterol level
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is your good cholesterol level
- Very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), which are the cholesterol from foods you’ve eaten recently
- Triglycerides, which indicate that your pancreas is inflamed and that you have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Liver Function Test
A hepatic or liver panel requires a blood sample and detects liver damage or liver disease. It’s done by looking at the levels of bilirubin, enzymes, and proteins produced within the liver. If there are issues, additional tests, such as an ultrasound of your liver, are done to determine what’s wrong and how bad the damage is. With that information, an appropriate treatment plan is recommended.
Mononucleosis Spot Test
The mono spot test looks for specific antibodies within your blood. If they’re present, the blood sample clots, which means you have a mono infection. Mono is a viral infection with flu-like symptoms that’s common in teens and young adults. As it lasts several weeks, it’s important to watch for complications like an enlarged spleen and follow the doctor’s recommendations until you’ve recovered.
PCR Test
A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is done to diagnose infectious diseases like COVID and Hepatitis C. It can also be used to look for changes in tumors or to diagnose genetic conditions. A sample of cells is taken through a blood draw, a sample of saliva, or a swab of the inside of your nostril.
Pregnancy Test
With many at-home pregnancy tests available, many women test their urine in the privacy of their home. Urgent care doctors can also draw blood samples and check the blood for the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) levels in the blood. Blood tests can detect pregnancy earlier than urine tests and monitor if the pregnancy is progressing correctly or if there’s a risk of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests
If your doctor suspects you have the flu, a rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT) checks for influenza A and B viruses. These tests are fast and provide results in less than 15 minutes, but false positives are possible, which is why it’s best to have these tests done in a doctor’s office.
STD Testing
How sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing is performed depends on the STD that is being tested to determine if you have it. STD tests like hepatitis, HIV, and syphilis are performed using a sample of blood. Swab tests help diagnose chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and HPV. Urine tests help detect chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis (trich).
TB Testing
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that impacts lung health. It’s spread through saliva droplets while coughing, sneezing, or talking. The World Health Organization estimates that 10 million people get TB each year. It’s curable, but only with treatment.
Employers, especially in health care careers, often require negative TB tests as a condition of a job offer. TB tests are performed through either a blood test or a skin test. The skin test involves a small amount of testing material being injected under the skin and looking for a skin reaction. The blood test requires a sample of blood to be collected and viewed under a microscope to look at how your immune cells react to TB proteins.
Urinalysis
When a urinary tract infection (UTI) is suspected, a sample of urine is collected following a specific routine. A urinalysis is also used to diagnose kidney disease and other health issues.
You’ll be given an antiseptic wipe to clean your genital area, begin to urinate, and then use the sterile cup to collect a sample of urine. The lab looks at the sample for signs of red or white blood cells, glucose, ketones, protein, and the pH level. Some of the samples may be incubated to grow and identify the bacteria that are present.
If a UTI or other health issue is diagnosed, the best antibiotic is prescribed using that urine culture. Or, other treatment options are used for conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, or other health issues.
Wound Culture
When you have an infected wound, such as a skin puncture that becomes red and swollen, a wound culture helps doctors know what bacteria are present. After cleaning the wound, a needle or swab is used to collect some of the fluid from the wound.
That sample is sent to the lab, where it is incubated to grow the bacteria and determine what type of microorganisms are present. This makes it easier for a doctor to determine the best medicine to use to treat the infection.
Urgent care isn’t your typical doctor’s office. There’s no scheduling an appointment and waiting days to see your doctor. Get the care you need, the same day you need it, even on weekends. Use the advanced check-in option on Premium Urgent Care’s website and head to the clinic. You’ll have a shorter wait and receive quality care for whatever lab tests you need.