Home  News Latest LabSafe: Affordable medical screening tests
|
LabSafe: Affordable medical screening tests |
|
|
|
|
Written by Pamela A. Keene & Sonia Morgan
|
|
Monday, 01 September 2008 |
|
Page 1 of 2 With over 50 million Americans nationally and the large number of South Floridians who have no health insurance as well as the high deductibles required even for those with insurance, many Americans cannot afford to get important lifesaving medical screening tests.
Many diseases that plague the Black, Hispanic, and Caribbean American communities, like HIV/AIDS, hypertension, and diabetes can be treated and/or controlled with early detection, but many people are hard pressed, especially in this economic climate, to set aside funds for regular testing and treatment.
But there are testing options available that can help to detect these diseases at a significantly reduced cost to consumers and one such company is LabSafe.com, which has been conducting lab testing for five years and saving their patients considerably.
LabSafe CEO, Ed Estriplet Jr. is Haitian born and is most passionate about looking to help drive down the cost of health care nationally for the benefit of all consumers.
“We provide direct service to consumers that are 40 to 60 percent less expensive if not more than traditional national laboratories, and this is especially useful for physicians whose patients may not have insurance or have high insurance deductibles. There’s no waiting for an appointment, blood draws are done by licensed professionals nationally and all the information is strictly confidential.
“Our role will never be to take the place of the primary care physician,” says Estriplet of the national company based in Hollywood, Fla.
LabSafe has more than 7,000 partnerships drawing stations across the country; the service is convenient, confidential and can assist patients with screening tests while remaining under the care of their personal primary physicians.
Brian C. Lunn, founder of LabSafe, says that another benefit of consumer access to blood-test screenings is that patients can have a more proactive role in their healthcare. “If a patient suspects some sort of medical issue, such as a sexually transmitted disease concern, it’s possible to request a particular screening test online, then talk with one of our licensed nursing staff and have the test completed the same day.”
LabSafe offers hundreds of types of screening tests, from cancer and diabetes to nutrition and infectious diseases and also offers affordable testing programs for employers who require regular drug testing in the workplace or to enhance their employee benefits programs. In addition, the company offers four free test programs for cholesterol, comprehensive metabolic panel, complete blood count and liver function, all of which are found on the company’s website at www.LabSafe.com.
Karen Friedel, LPN, cited one example of these savings through a patient with a chronic condition that required testing every six months; from a conventional lab, the tests cost almost $1,500, but LabSafe did the testing each time for about $150.
The secret to the lower costs is the amount of volume the company does each year and the strategic partnerships it has throughout the country with physicians, employers and other organizations. As a fully regulated medical laboratory testing provider, LabSafe follows all state and federal laws and is HIPAA and FDA compliant.
One of the most important aspects of LabSafe is that they ensure confidentiality. “Every test is confidential, so if a person suspects, for instance, that he or she has a sexually transmitted disease, they can contact LabSafe through our website or toll-free number, then are referred to one of our national drawing stations for testing without having to involve their personal family physician initially,” Lunn says.
“We protect their privacy and confidentiality, but if they test
positive, we refer them back to their personal physician for treatment. It’s that peace of mind, that confidentiality that means so much, especially in these cases. If patients were to go to their family physician directly, they may not feel as comfortable.”
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
|
|
|
