LABORATORY
The Laboratory is a Joint Commission Accredited facility that offers a wide range of diagnostic laboratory services. We provide your clinician with the information needed to help diagnose and treat your medical conditions. No appointment is necessary. Please have your current medical insurance information at the time of service.
The Laboratory is located on the first floor of the University Health Center at 55 Carlton St on the UGA Campus. Our hours are Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm. The Laboratory can be contacted by phone at 706-542-8643 and by fax at 706-542-8664.
Services are available to UGA students, their spouses, and domestic partners.
Please have your current medical insurance information at the time of service. It mandates where some of your tests are done.
Drink plenty of water beforehand. This helps to maintain good blood volume to prevent vein collapse or difficult sticks. Anything that lessens the need for another attempt is always worth a try.
Know whether your clinician requests you to be fasting for the ordered tests. (Nothing except water by mouth in the last 12 hours)
If you are not undergoing a fasting test, then have some food to raise your blood sugars. This will help keep your brain alert and make you less prone to a vasovagal response (fainting). If you do tend to faint, inform your phlebotomist and they will arrange for you to lie back during the collection.
Know about medication timing prior to collection of ordered tests. (such as for H. pylori Breath Test, lithium and estradiol)
Don’t urinate for at least an hour before you are seeing a physician for STI testing.
If you are nervous, practice a favorite mantra (a sound or word repeated in meditation) and use it during blood collection. Less body tension means less discomfort and a relaxed arm will keep that vein prominent and accessible. Don’t worry about the amount of blood collected in all those vials as your body will replace it all within a few hours.
- 1 in 2 sexually active young people will get an STI (sexually transmitted infection) by the age of 25, and most won’t show any signs or symptoms. Untreated, some STIs can lead to serious problems such as sterility.
- Schedule to see your provider to get an order. UHC does not currently offer on-demand STI testing because of the importance of provider counseling.
- UHC Laboratory offers affordable, convenient, and confidential STI testing using a simple blood draw and/or urine samples, with results available within 2-3 days. Cash pay pricing for HIV, RPR, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea is close to $100, but insurance can also be filed.
- See your provider to get an order, and get tested soon!
Please contact the Laboratory if you have any testing questions, and we’ll be happy to help.
Did you know that you can have your outside lab orders sent by your provider to the University Health Center Laboratory?
Printed orders should be submitted to the UHC Laboratory at least 24 hours in advance of your planned visit. This can be done in two ways:
- UHC Laboratory Fax #: 706-542-8664
- Hand delivered to the laboratory
The following information should be provided on the order:
- Patient Name and Date of Birth
- Test name(s)
- Diagnosis Code(s)
- Fax number for results to be sent back to
- Ordering provider’s name
- Frequency of testing, if applicable—monthly x 6 (We can treat these as future orders based on the time frame indicated on the order.)
IF YOUR ORDERS ARE BEING SENT BY A DOCTOR’S OFFICE YOU SHOULD CALL 706-542-8643 TO CONFIRM YOUR ORDERS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND ARE READY FOR COLLECTION.
These processes should cut down on your wait time for several reasons:
- It gives UHC Lab time to clarify any missing information with the ordering clinician.
- We may need to be put the ordered test into our system for proper billing or collection.
- We may not be able to complete the order at UHC Lab due to complexity or insurance requirements.
- It can eliminate you having to wait due to a particularly busy period or when groups are scheduled for lab testing.
- Faxing or office issues could have held up your order from being sent as expected.
- Basic Metabolic Panel
- BV BLUE Rapid
- CBC with differential
- Chlamydia/GC urine by PCR
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
- D-Dimer
- Electrolytes
- FLUA/B+SARS-CoV-2 Antigen
- Glucose
- Glucose, Whole Blood
- Hemoglobin, venous
- Ictotest
- KOH Prep
- Molecular Rapid Group A/C/G Strep
- Mono Test
- Occult Blood
- Potassium
- Qualitative serum HCG
- Qualitative urine HCG
- SARS-CoV-2
- SARS-CoV-2/FLUA/FLUB/RSV by PCR
- Scabies Prep
- Sedimentation Rate (Wintrobe)
- Sickle Cell Screen
- Trichomonas Rapid
- Urinalysis with microscopic
- Urinalysis dip
- Wet Prep
Fact Sheet For Patients: Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test pdf
Fact Sheet For Patients: ID NOW COVID-19 test pdf
Fact Sheet For Patients: Xpert Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus pdf
UHC Lab staff understand that for many UHC patients, bloodwork is a new frontier! That alone can be scary! For others true fear of needles, or trypanophobia, can cause increased anxiety. Just the thought of holding out your arm for the phlebotomist may bring on sweaty palms and a dry mouth. However, it is possible to gain some control over your fear and get that blood test done. By using simple measures like drinking water before the test, releasing tension in your body with relaxation techniques, distracting yourself, and sharing any concerns or history of fainting with lab staff, the collection will be over before you know it.
We practice techniques to help aid you in having a fearless experience. We will ask about your history with needles (ie. Have you ever fainted?). We validate your fear with compassion, reassurance and confidence in our ability to accomplish almost all phlebotomy in one attempt. Our phlebotomists are trained, experienced professionals. We use distraction such as television and conversation.
Our phlebotomy room was designed especially for blood collection with comfortable, adjustable, reclining chairs that aid in the prevention and recovery of vasovagal episodes. (If a fainting episode does happen, you will be safe from falling and we have an urgent call button that brings an RN to check on you immediately.) We give you plenty of time to feel steady to return about your day.
Now that you’re done – we wrap the puncture site with a pressure wrap and advise not to immediately carry heavy items like backpacks with the collection arm, as that could lead to the clot shifting and the puncture site bleeding or the formation of a large and painful bruise. Strenuous activity is also discouraged for at least the next hour.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, your health fee only covers your UHC office visit. UHC Laboratory is a fee-for-service clinic, meaning we charge a fee for each service/test provided.
Individual insurance plans vary in what is covered, deductibles, co-pays, etc. It is the patient’s responsibility to contact their individual insurance carrier prior to your visit to inquire about coverage for laboratory services to ensure proper routing and payment. UHC is in-network with many insurance providers.
See Financial Information and Insurance for more information
Not all testing can be performed at the University Health Center Laboratory. Also, your insurance may require use of one of these reference labs due to contractual arrangements. This is why current insurance is so important at the time of lab services! When applicable, your insurance information is sent with your sample and filed by the reference lab performing the test. If there is a balance or insurance denied payment, then the bill would come to you from the reference lab that performed your test.
In-house testing is billed through UHC to your insurance or to you via your student account if you choose not to use insurance.
No, clinician orders are required for all Laboratory testing. You must make an appointment with your assigned clinic.
Yes, we request 24 hours to process orders from outside doctors.
Patients can choose to cash pay specific/sensitive tests to keep them from being filed to insurance.
However, due to logistics, the need for confirmation or reflex testing, ALL Lab changes MAY not be complete when you leave UHC.
This is especially true if you have multiple specimens collected in the clinic AND in the Lab on the same day.
Please note that it can take a few days for all charges to post to your ticket for billing.