Why does getting blood tests require a doctor??

Tremonti

Tremonti

Fractal Fanatic
Why is it a fucking chore to get your blood values? You shouldn't need a doctor's permission...it's my God damned blood! Do you need a doctor's note to give blood at the blood bank? NO!

Labs are considered a great indicator of overall health and helps individuals realize what they may need to change in order to turn things around. Don't get me going on the cost either! These simple tests have been around for decades and the cost and ease should be better(I'm talking standard tests, not latest weird this or that). I'd like to get my values once a month for a $100. That's reasonable. Cost of things goes down over time...but not in the medical bullshit world. Under this logic flat screen TV's would still cost $10,000.
 
Totally agree. "Back in the day" (i.e. before I was born) docs were docs and insurance was for when you managed to almost die. Now you need a script to urinate. I really see no reason why you shouldn't be able to get any lab test done as long as you pay for it. As you say... it's YOUR blood. 2 years ago we saved in the neighborhood of $18k ditching the insurance and paying everyone cash when we had our last baby.

That said, recently I looked into this and there are a few online labs that "provide a doctor referral" for you. You still have to have a blood draw done locally.

For example:
Health Labs
Personal Labs

Disclosure: never used either of those services.
 
benvigil said:
Totally agree. "Back in the day" (i.e. before I was born) docs were docs and insurance was for when you managed to almost die. Now you need a script to urinate. I really see no reason why you shouldn't be able to get any lab test done as long as you pay for it. As you say... it's YOUR blood. 2 years ago we saved in the neighborhood of $18k ditching the insurance and paying everyone cash when we had our last baby.

That said, recently I looked into this and there are a few online labs that "provide a doctor referral" for you. You still have to have a blood draw done locally.

For example:
Health Labs
Personal Labs

Disclosure: never used either of those services.
Click to expand...
Yes I've done the online thing with blood scripts. Still expensive as shit! I'm seriously looking into this as a business endeavor and starting my own local lab chain.
 
Well...when you need trained people to pull blood, most of those folks work in...wait for it...doctor's offices! Lab technicians to manage, equipment that is constantly being upgraded to give better results...medical is PRICEY.

I'm not saying it doesn't suck....
 
There is always the option of going old school:

33699.jpg
 
I know around here, there are clinic you can walk in to, and they will draw for whatever tests you want. They have a list of what looks like a couple of hundred things. Problem is, they're all $30 to $100 per thing you want tested, so probably not for most people. If all you cared about is your Vitamin D, or Testosterone, might be worth it.
 
Everyone needs their cut,

Here, you visit (& pay) a doctor to refer you to a blood testing lab, who you visit, and they get paid, so you can return to the doctor (and pay) for him/her to refer you to one of their friends..I mean a 'Specialist' who will get paid to reinterpret the blood test results, and send you to some of their friends (who you also pay) for further scans/tests, so you can go back to the specialist who can then send you to another mate (surgeon) who you pay to cut the offending growth/mobile phone/inserted item/tumor/etc out or off, so you can go about life. Normally you also have to pay for a taxi back from the hospital. Living is expensive!!
Thanks
Pauly


Tremonti said:
Why is it a fucking chore to get your blood values? You shouldn't need a doctor's permission...it's my God damned blood! Do you need a doctor's note to give blood at the blood bank? NO!

Labs are considered a great indicator of overall health and helps individuals realize what they may need to change in order to turn things around. Don't get me going on the cost either! These simple tests have been around for decades and the cost and ease should be better(I'm talking standard tests, not latest weird this or that). I'd like to get my values once a month for a $100. That's reasonable. Cost of things goes down over time...but not in the medical bullshit world. Under this logic flat screen TV's would still cost $10,000.
Click to expand...
 
The main reason for going through a doctor is the interpretation of such tests that can vary enormously depending on your way of living. Often some values can get out of the standard ranges, and a doctor that has a long time view on your health will have a correct interpretation of test results. He will prevent you from worrying for nothing, running for nothing from one to another specialist that could spend his time with clients that really are in need of his competence.

Think about it as self-doctoring analyses are one of the major flaws of our internet era.
 
lauke-lux said:
The main reason for going through a doctor is the interpretation of such tests that can vary enormously depending on your way of living. Often some values can get out of the standard ranges, and a doctor that has a long time view on your health will have a correct interpretation of test results. He will prevent you from worrying for nothing, running for nothing from one to another specialist that could spend his time with clients that really are in need of his competence.

Think about it as self-doctoring analyses are one of the major flaws of our internet era.
Click to expand...
I don't need interpretation. They give ranges. If somethings off, then I could discuss with doc. Or I could research and try some diet changes etc. The fact is the cost is prohibitive and it's a fucking racket!
 
I wouldn't want to pay their insurance policies! The doctors I know feel they work for the insurance companies...oh...and bmw.
Thanks
Pauly
 
No single human is identical so values out of range need a profeasional interpretation more than a simple internet analysis; if you want to stay in good health. Some people live very well with values out lof range or sometimes you have out of range values just as a consequence of an effort 2-3 days earlier or a small infection that we all have frequently. Thats why an interpretation based on long term data/ records is useful. It would be stupid to go swallow WTH on self-medication and then die of a treatment you in fact never needed....
Anyway, no idea what is the pricing over here....in France we've got social security and doctors are quite easily demanding analysis just for rexords; it's not that expensive except certain analysis.

You can always take a cheap ticket to France...
 
The OP raised two points that aren’t related to each other:

1) Why does it take a doctor’s order to get blood work done?
2) Medical costs in the USA are expensive.


Getting blood tests performed on consumer demand would clog the system and raise costs. The demand for blood tests would skyrocket, and that would drive up the cost of testing. And the false-positive results of patient self-diagnosis would further drive up medical costs, while impeding access to medical care for those who really need it.

While we’re discussing medical costs, I would take a close look at who convinced you that blood tests are “a great indicator of overall health” or that there’s any value to getting them performed once a month.
 
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