Finding cheap labs for patients has been the Holy Grail for LesliesList.
Good news! Thanks to a LesliesList.org reader we recently came across a doozy of a website called PrepaidLab.com that offers cheaper labs for patients. Here are some of the price differences between the discount price at my northside clinic (C), PrivateMD (PMD) (another online testing site) and PrepaidLab (PPL).
Lipid panel (cholesterol) 45 (C) 48 (PMD) 25 (PPL)
TSH (thyroid) 75 (C) 45 (PMD) 27 (PPL)
CBC w differential 27 (C) 45 (PMD) 16 (PPL)
There are a few caveats:
1. You must go to a LabCorp lab to have the blood drawn.
2. You must order the correct labs- or have your doctor order them for you online in the office. There are a lot of tests that sound the same once you start searching for the tests you need so order with caution.
3. You must pay with a credit card up front.
4. They tack on a $9.50 processing fee per order.
One nice feature is that the site gives you the option of providing your doctor’s fax so your test results can be sent directly to your doc.