All patients who are Covid 19 positive must complete the CDC recommended 5-day isolation period before being scheduled to come into the office for lab or office services and wear a mask in the office if they have recently had Covid or are suffering from other respiratory symptoms. Masking is voluntary currently, however highly recommended for those vulnerable to respiratory illness, and those in high-risk populations such as immunosuppressed and dialysis patients.

Laboratory

Please arrive 40 minutes ahead of the scheduled appointment you have with your provider. Before your appointment in the lab, your order will be reviewed for completeness. Before we can collect your specimen, it must include the following:

Alert the lab staff if you are aware of any conditions that may affect your blood collection. This may include fainting or lightheadedness, or medications that thin your blood.

Commonly Asked
Questions

Make sure you check with your physician to see if you should take your medications or if you should wait until after your blood is drawn.

Unless specified by your physician there are only a few tests that require fasting… Fasting glucose, Cholesterol and Triglyceride.

Most tests will be completed by the time you see your doctor that day. However, some tests are sent out to a reference laboratory. The turn around time for these tests vary.

Urine Collection: Open the top of the specimen container. Do not touch the inside of the lid or container. Using the cleansing towelettes provided in the bathroom, follow the posted instructions on the wall. Place the lid on the container and close tightly so that the urine does not leak out of the container. Place the container in the designated area of the bathroom.

Stool Collection (for occult blood): Avoid ingestion of red meat for 2 days prior to testing. We suggest 3 stool samples from 3 different days. The easiest collection method is to apply a very thin sample to the application area by using toilet paper just before discarding into the toilet. Mark the appropriate area on the card with the collection date, your name and the physician’s name. Cards can be mailed back to Nephrology Associates of Syracuse.