Walk-in Lab in Athens, Ga., Provides Results to Clients Without a Doctor's Orders

After a frustrating and trying period in their lives, married couple Kristin Shea and Tom Senyitko started a business to help others who found themselves in the same boat.

More than a year ago, Senyitko, 53, was suddenly tired. Yes, he was staying at home with the couple's two children while his wife worked as a CPA, and being tired is part of taking care of kids. But this was different--he was always tired, no matter how much rest he got.

The couple spent months going from one specialist to another, and anxious weeks waiting for the results of blood tests, until, finally, doctors diagnosed Senyitko with multiple myleoma, a type of blood cancer.

"It was $50 for a visit to a specialist, and then we'd have to get tests, and every doctor wanted their own blood test done, and there were more bills," said Shea.

In April of this year, the couple opened LabTest Select, with the goal of a fast turn around time for lab results. A month later, Senyitko was hospitalized with cardiac amyloidosis. This develops when an abnormal protein, an amyloid, is deposited in the heart tissue, making it difficult for the heart to function properly. He was given six months to live.

So Shea quit her job to help manage the business and to deal with her husband's condition. Since then, things have been going well, she said. Senyitko's health is improving and the business is expanding.

LabTest Select also does 800 different tests, including allergy testing, Vitamin D tests, DNA paternity testing, STD tests, allergy tests, cholesterol screening, drug and alcohol tests for employers and background checks. The business employs two phylebotomists who are also certified medical assistants, Shea said. They draw blood and other samples and send them to LabCorps for analysis.

Clients don't need a doctor's order to have a test performed, Shea said. Nor do they have to have insurance; they can just pay a fee and take their results. And now, she said, doctors are referring their patients to them. They take cash or credit card payments for their services, but don't bill insurance companies or Medicaid--which helps keep their costs down.

Instead of waiting days or even weeks for test results, clients receive most blood test resuts in 24 to 48 hours, Shea said. The clients specify where and how they want results sent--either as mail, a fax or an email--and to whom.

The thing that LabTest Select doesn't do is interpret results--it's up to the clients to find out what they mean, either via a medical professional or a website. All results are confidential, and no appointment is needed. People can drop in from 8am to 4pm during the work week.