Comment by cj
2 days ago
Anyone can order labs via websites like https://directlabs.com/
If there is a doctor involved, it’s invisible to the consumer.
I believe there are 2-3 states where the rules are different (one being New York) where you can’t self-order tests, but every other state is unrestricted.
Even in New York where you can’t order via the typical websites, you can still go directly to Quest or Labcorp and buy your labs directly from them (without talking to a doctor).
Source: I regularly get blood panels without seeing doctors. I highly recommend direct labs, or Quest Direct if you live in NY.
Fun fact… my primary care provider ordered a Vitamin D and lipid panel for me last year. The cost of the labs after insurance was 3x more expensive than buying the labs myself without insurance. Insanity.
Edit: states with self-testing restrictions: AZ, NJ, NY, RI
If you check the lab report, did you see a doctor listed somewhere near the top? (Even if you didn't explicitly talk to that doctor, I think it's legally necessary in all US states).
(Agree that ordering and paying the cash price is often cheaper than insurance.)
Every reference lab in the US is required to have a medical director who is legally accountable for quality. That doctor's name will often appear somewhere on the report but that doesn't mean they ordered it. The ordering provider (if any) will be listed on a separate field.
Yes, there is an ordering physician.
The parent commenter we're both responding to said "I can go to a lab, order this, and pay for it." -- the point I'm trying to make is that the system in the US is basically the same, since the ordering physician is employed by the lab testing company and you never interact with them, so it's as if they don't exist for the purposes of comparing to Greece.
Edit: I see you own a blood testing startup! Now I understand why you were surprised about the ordering physician detail. I thought you were implying that the process is difficult in some way because a doctor is involved.