Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – Lexington

About Our Lab in Lexington

The laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – Lexington (BIDMC – Lexington) is staffed by skilled and compassionate professionals who specialize in drawing blood and collecting specimens for testing.

Lab Services

Our lab provides blood draws and collects other specimens needed to help diagnosis and manage your care. Samples for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) patients are transported to our main Clinical Laboratory on the East Campus in Boston, where most tests are performed.

In some cases, samples may be sent to outside reference laboratories, which can increase the time it takes to receive results.

Fasting

For certain tests, you may be asked to fast. This means not eating or drinking anything (except water) for 8 to 10 hours before your visit. Drinking water is encouraged. Most people should continue taking their medications as usual, but if you have questions about fasting or medications, please check with your doctor before coming in.

Ordering Lab Tests

Your doctor must be in our medical registry in order to receive test results. If you are unsure whether your doctor is in our registry, please call us before your visit. Lab tests may be ordered through our online system or with a paper order. Doctors who use paper orders should provide either a BIDMC Laboratory Requisition or a standard prescription form.

Paper requisitions must:

• Be legible
• Include the patient's name and date of birth
• Include the ordering provider's name and phone number
• Include an ICD-10 code (diagnosis code)
• List all tests individually

Results

We do not release lab results directly to patients. Once testing is complete, BIDMC and affiliated providers can access results through our secure electronic medical record system. Providers who do not have access to our system will receive results by mail.