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Point-of-Care Labs
There are many labs and tests that can be done without sending samples to an outside lab or pathology group:
- Urine dipstick
- Rapid strep, mono, influenza A/B, covid
- Urine pregnancy testing
- POC INR, Hgb A1c
- Fingerstick glucose
- Stool FIT testing or fecal occult blood
- Urine drug screening cups
If you are doing any testing on any body fluid or tissue, you will need to have a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Waiver. Some states have specific applications and requirements for CLIA certification, so speak to a DPC doctor in your state for guidance. Once you have applied for, paid for, and received your CLIA waiver, there are a whole host of tests you can offer within your practice. These tests can be easily obtained through any major medical supply wholesaler (and will often note that the test is “CLIA Waived” or not). In some states, in-office testing is allowed without major regulatory oversight with the assumption that you are doing it correctly, of course. Some states require “competence certification” so, once again, speak with a DPC doctor in your state. The onus is on you, and your license, to ensure that anyone performing this in-house testing is properly trained on the full instructions for each test.
For a high-level overview of arranging labs outside of your practice, see this article on Arranging Client Billing Labs.
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Point-of-Care Labs
There are many labs and tests that can be done without sending samples to an outside lab or pathology group:
- Urine dipstick
- Rapid strep, mono, influenza A/B, covid
- Urine pregnancy testing
- POC INR, Hgb A1c
- Fingerstick glucose
- Stool FIT testing or fecal occult blood
- Urine drug screening cups
If you are doing any testing on any body fluid or tissue, you will need to have a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Waiver. Some states have specific applications and requirements for CLIA certification, so speak to a DPC doctor in your state for guidance. Once you have applied for, paid for, and received your CLIA waiver, there are a whole host of tests you can offer within your practice. These tests can be easily obtained through any major medical supply wholesaler (and will often note that the test is “CLIA Waived” or not). In some states, in-office testing is allowed without major regulatory oversight with the assumption that you are doing it correctly, of course. Some states require “competence certification” so, once again, speak with a DPC doctor in your state. The onus is on you, and your license, to ensure that anyone performing this in-house testing is properly trained on the full instructions for each test.
For a high-level overview of arranging labs outside of your practice, see this article on Arranging Client Billing Labs.