The sequence, in order
The visit decides what is worth testing
Tests are ordered to answer a question, not as a routine add-on. A good visit ends with you knowing why each test is being done and what the result would change.
You get the price first
Ask what the testing costs before it is ordered, and who bills you for it. At Presence the price is quoted before anything is ordered.
You go for the draw or the scan
Blood work happens at a collection site; imaging happens at an imaging centre. Bring the order and photo identification, and follow any fasting instruction exactly.
Results return to the ordering provider
Turnaround ranges from about a day for common panels to longer for specialised tests or imaging that needs a radiologist's report.
The results visit is where the value is
Results are reviewed with you in plain language: what is normal, what is not, what it means for your treatment and what happens next. See lab result review.
What can and cannot be ordered virtually
| Type | Can a virtual visit order it? |
|---|---|
| Common blood panels and metabolic testing | Yes, when clinically indicated |
| Monitoring for an ongoing condition or a medication | Yes — this is one of the best uses of virtual care |
| X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI | Often, when the history supports it |
| Anything requiring an examination to justify it | Not until you have been examined |
| Testing in the room — rapid tests, in-house urinalysis | No; that needs an in-person visit |
Keeping the cost predictable
- Ask for the self-pay price of each test, and who sends the bill.
- Ask whether a cheaper test answers the same question.
- Ask whether the result changes the plan — if it does not, question the test.
- Keep your results, so a future provider does not repeat work you already paid for.
Member pricing on laboratory work and imaging is set out on labs and imaging savings, including exactly what the discount does and does not apply to. Not every test saves the same amount, and your price is quoted before anything is ordered.
Limits worth knowing
Some results need hands-on assessment to interpret properly, and a few need urgent attention the same day — in which case you will be told to go in person or to an emergency department rather than wait for a follow-up visit. A result on a portal without a conversation is not care; the interpretation is the part that matters.
Nothing on this page interprets your results. Discuss your own results with a licensed provider who has your history.