How to Choose a Lab

How to Choose a Lab

Intro

Choosing the right laboratory partner is one of the most consequential operational decisions a behavioral health or substance use disorder treatment program makes. The wrong choice leads to delayed results, compliance exposure, billing headaches, and frustrated clinical staff. The right choice becomes invisible — reliable, fast, and hands-off.

Here’s what to evaluate.

1. Confirm Accreditation — Don’t Just Accept CLIA

Every lab operating in the United States is required to hold a CLIA certificate. But CLIA alone is a minimum standard, not a quality benchmark.

What to ask:

• Is the lab COLA-accredited? COLA requires an on-site inspection and ongoing quality standards review — it’s a meaningful credential that CLIA alone does not require.
• Does the lab participate in CAP Proficiency Testing? This is an independent external quality assurance program used by the most rigorous clinical labs. Ask to see the certificates. Any reputable lab will provide them immediately.

Red flag: A lab that can only produce a CLIA certificate has met the minimum bar — not more.

Results Diagnostics: CLIA certified (CMS #29D2310339), COLA accredited, CAP proficiency testing participant.

2. Turnaround Time — 24 Hours Is the Standard

For behavioral health and SUD programs, lab results directly impact treatment decisions. A patient whose buprenorphine compliance result takes 5 days is a patient whose care is on hold.

What to ask:

• What is the standard TAT for a UDS panel? The answer should be 24 hours or next business day.
• What is the TAT for confirmatory LC-MS/MS testing? Should be the same — 24 hours.
• Is there an additional charge for faster turnaround? There shouldn’t be.

Red flag: Any lab quoting 3–5 days for standard confirmatory testing is not built for behavioral health programs.

Results Diagnostics: 24-hour standard turnaround on all panels. No expedite fees.

3. Direct Billing to Insurance — This Should Cost Your Facility Nothing

Laboratory testing ordered as part of a documented treatment plan is a covered benefit under Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial insurance plans. Your facility should never be receiving an invoice for testing.

What to ask:

• Do you bill the patient’s insurance directly?
• Does our facility pay anything per test, per specimen, or per month?
• Who handles claim denials and appeals?

Red flag: Any lab charging your facility a per-test fee, a monthly service fee, or asking you to manage billing is either non-compliant or not built for this market.

Results Diagnostics: We bill Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance directly. Your facility pays nothing and manages no claims.

4. Compliance — Know Your Obligations Under 42 CFR Part 2

Substance use disorder treatment records — including lab results — are subject to 42 CFR Part 2, which imposes stricter confidentiality requirements than standard HIPAA. Your lab partner must understand this.

What to ask:

• How do you handle results for patients whose records are protected under 42 CFR Part 2?
• Do your result delivery systems support role-based access controls?
• Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?

Red flag: A lab that doesn’t know what 42 CFR Part 2 is has never worked with a real SUD program.

Results Diagnostics: Fully versed in 42 CFR Part 2. BAA provided as standard. Results delivered via secure portal with role-based access.

5. Testing Methodology — LC-MS/MS vs. Immunoassay

Immunoassay (the cup test) screens for drug classes, not specific compounds. It generates false positives on over-the-counter medications and cannot confirm medication adherence. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identifies and quantifies specific compounds — it is the standard for clinical decision-making and medicolegal defensibility.

What to ask:

• What methodology do you use for confirmatory testing?
• Can you detect Xylazine (Tranq)? It’s in the illicit fentanyl supply in every major market — most labs don’t test for it.
• Can your buprenorphine panel distinguish between ingestion and diversion?

Red flag: A lab offering only immunoassay confirmation — or no confirmation at all — is not appropriate for clinical MAT programs.

Results Diagnostics: LC-MS/MS confirmatory testing on all panels. Xylazine detection included. Buprenorphine-to-norbuprenorphine ratio reported for ingestion vs. diversion distinction.

6. Contract Terms — Flexibility Matters

Your program’s census fluctuates. Your lab contract should not lock you into volume commitments or long-term terms that expose you when census drops.

What to ask:

• Is there a minimum volume commitment?
• What is the contract term and termination notice period?
• Are there penalties for reducing test volume?

Red flag: Long-term contracts with volume minimums and early termination penalties are a sign the lab doesn’t trust its own service quality.

Results Diagnostics: No long-term contracts. No volume minimums. 30-day termination notice — because we earn your business every month.

7. Account Support — You Should Have a Real Contact

When a result is flagged, when a patient’s insurance changes, or when your clinical director has a question about a panel — you need a real person who knows your account, not a call center ticket.

What to ask:

• Will we have a dedicated account representative?
• What is the response time for clinical questions?
• Who do we call if there’s a result we don’t understand?

Results Diagnostics: Every client has a dedicated account contact. Clinical questions answered same day.

Why Results Diagnostics

We built this lab specifically for behavioral health and SUD programs. COLA-accredited. CLIA-certified. CAP proficiency testing participant. LC-MS/MS methodology. 24-hour turnaround. Direct insurance billing. No contracts. No volume minimums. One dedicated contact for your account.

If your current lab isn’t checking every box above — we’d like to show you what that looks like.

Ready to Talk?

Call us at 702-830-5100 or contact us to set up a no-cost consultation. We’ll walk through your current testing program, answer every question on this list, and show you our credentials in writing.

Results Diagnostics LLC  |  5580 S. Fort Apache Rd, Unit 120, Las Vegas, NV 89148  |  NPI: 1063253094