Laboratory & Pathological Services
Finger Lakes Health's Lab Draw Stations welcome lab orders from any licensed healthcare provider regardless of where they are located. We will send the results directly to your provider.
The Laboratory provides a wide range of testing services in Clinical (Hematology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Urinalysis), Pathology (Cytology and Surgical Pathology) and Blood Bank specialties. Inpatient and outpatient tests are performed in a modern, well-equipped, computerized facility.
Services are provided only upon the written order of a licensed provider. Finger Lakes Health operates seven Laboratory Draw Stations throughout the Finger Lakes, where patients can go to be tested. Specimens are transported 2-3 times a day to the main laboratories at Geneva General or Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital, where the testing takes place by NYS licensed medical technologists, and is overseen by the Laboratory Medical Director, a qualified pathologist. All tests run in the labs are monitored for quality through multiple proficiency challenges each year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a doctor's order to obtain a laboratory test?
By regulation, our staff can only collect specimens from patients with a written order signed by their provider. A provider is usually a physician but can be from anyone licensed by NYS with the authorization to order laboratory tests. This includes: nurse practitioners, physician assistants, chiropractors, dentists, and podiatrists.
Occasionally, Finger Lakes Health will offer free health screenings to the public. People attending the screenings will not need a written order. Results from the screening will be sent directly to your provider for follow-up. If you do not have a primary care physician, Finger Lakes Health will designate a physician to follow up with you to interpret your test results.
My provider is out of the area. Can I still use your facility for testing?
Yes. All of the Finger Lakes Health Lab Draw Stations can respond to lab orders from any licensed provider in the community. The customer can choose the site that is most convenient. All insurances are accepted, and we often provide services for patients with physicians from other states.
Do I need to make an appointment?
For most lab work, no appointment is necessary for services at Finger Lakes Health Lab Draw Stations. Present with your provider's order, follow your doctor's instructions for fasting or other prerequisites for the lab test, and be assured that your specimen will be handled with the utmost care. Your ordering provider will receive quality and reliable results within the shortest time that modern laboratory technology can provide. Glucose tolerance, D-xylose tolerance and Lactose tolerance tests do require an appointment. Please contact Central Scheduling at 315-787-4555.
When is the best time to go to a Lab Draw Station?
Some Lab Draw Stations are busier than others, but they are the busiest early in the week and early in the day. For the shortest wait times, late morning or afternoons are ideal. Please be sure to follow your doctor's instructions (fasting, etc.).
Where are the Lab Draw Stations?
Finger Lakes Health Laboratories can be accessed at five different locations in Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties. The Laboratory sites have been placed in the community to offer ease of access and convenience for residences of the three counties our laboratory serves.
Is the actual testing of my blood/bodily fluid done at the Lab Draw Stations?
No testing is actually performed at the Lab Draw Stations. Specimens are collected and then transported to the testing Laboratories located within Geneva General Hospital and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital. The transportation occurs 2 to 3 times a day to insure specimen integrity and a rapid return of results to the ordering provider.
When will I know my test results?
Most laboratory tests are available by the next business day. Your physician or provider who asked you to obtain the testing will receive your results. Patients need to contact their provider. Lab information is also available on the Finger Lakes Health patient portal.
How can I obtain a copy of my test results?
Your provider can give you a copy, your provider can also designate, on the lab order, for you to receive a copy or you can sign a "release of information" in the medical records department of the hospital and the laboratory will send you a copy.