On-site Testing

Lab tests involve analyzing samples of substances taken from your body, such as blood or urine, to help identify disease. At Rios Healthcare Associates in Houston, Texas, Tomas Rios, MD, Nicolin Neal, MD, and the team provide onsite testing services for blood and other lab work and X-ray facilities. To learn more about the advantages of onsite testing, call Rios Healthcare Associates today or book an appointment using the online form.

What is onsite testing?

Onsite testing is a convenient and fast way to monitor your health and find the cause of any symptoms you experience.

Many healthcare providers don’t have onsite testing facilities, meaning patients must travel to other locations, a time-consuming and less satisfactory option. Rios Healthcare Associates performs most screening and diagnostic testing onsite.

What kind of onsite testing might I need?

Rios Healthcare Associates offers a range of testing services that cover most patients’ requirements. Lab tests can detect numerous abnormalities, including:

Infections

Specific lab tests Rios Healthcare Associates offers include COVID-19, flu (influenza), strep throat, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Although the practice focuses on adult patients, these lab tests are available to patients of all ages, from newborn onward.

Nutrient deficiencies

Lacking essential nutrients can have multiple effects on the body, some potentially life-threatening. One of the most common nutrient deficiencies is anemia (lack of iron in the blood).

Hormone testing

Hormones are potent chemicals that transmit messages from your brain to your organs. They control everything from metabolism to reproduction. An imbalance can cause wide-ranging mental and physical health problems, including diabetes, thyroid disease, and menopause symptoms.

Chronic diseases

Lab tests often identify abnormal cells and other disease indicators for long-term conditions like cancer. The Pap smear that women undergo is a common example, detecting human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (the primary cause of cervical cancer) and changes in the cervical cells that happen when cancer develops.

In addition to these and other lab tests, Rios Healthcare Associates also offers an onsite X-ray service. X-rays can detect problems with the bones and joints and conditions like pneumonia that causes fluid to build up in the lungs.

What does onsite testing involve?

Lab tests use various samples of your body’s cells and fluids. Some, like stool samples, you collect at home in a special container and bring to the practice for testing. Others require cell or discharge samples that your provider collects on a cotton swab. These tests are generally painless.

A blood test requires having a needle in an arm vein to collect the sample, which may cause some brief discomfort — your provider can give you a numbing cream to apply beforehand if you’re concerned about a blood draw.

To learn more about the Rios Healthcare Associates team’s onsite testing facilities, call the office or book an appointment online today.