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Preparing for Your Patient Service Center Appointment

Labcorp staff will make the collection process as safe, quick, and comfortable as possible while safeguarding your dignity and privacy. Patient centers are generally the busiest from opening until 10 a.m. Unless you are required to fast, it's best to schedule an appointment during off-peak hours.

What to bring

  • The Labcorp test request form from a healthcare professional requesting the laboratory testing
  • A current insurance identification card (Medicare, private insurance or HMO/PPO). Look up insurance carriers filed by Labcorp. 
  • A photo ID (for example, a driver's license or employee identification badge)
  • A health spending account card, credit card, or account debit card

Children must be supervised at all times while at our locations and cannot be inside the collection area during the procedure. Please plan ahead.

How to prepare

Sometimes special preparation is required to improve the accuracy of a test. Your physician should provide you with written instructions for preparing for your test. Follow those instructions exactly as they are written. If you are not certain if special preparation is required, or if you have questions about the instructions you were given, contact your physician’s office. 

Common instructions may include

  • Fasting (not eating any or certain foods) for several hours or even overnight
  • Drinking more or less water than usual
  • Avoiding certain medications or vitamin and herbal supplements prior to testing.  It is important to talk to your doctor about the medications you are currently taking (including supplements and other over-the-counter medications) before making changes prior to having laboratory tests performed.

If you did not follow the test preparation instructions you received from your physician, let the staff at the specimen collection lab know about this before your specimen is collected.

What to ask your doctor

Prior to visiting Labcorp for a diagnostic test, you may want to ask your physician the following questions:

  • What testing is being performed?
  • Why does the testing need to be done?
  • What type of specimen is needed for testing (blood, saliva, urine, semen, stool, hair)? When can I expect to hear about my test results?
  • How will the test results affect the course of my care?
  • Talk to your doctor if you are currently taking biotin (Vitamin B7) or are considering adding biotin, or a supplement containing biotin, to your diet, as this can affect the results for several common tests.
  • Download information about biotin (Vitamin B7) and potential interference with certain laboratory tests.