Rockey Joshi and his wife, Shreya, who had just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, found themselves spending an inordinate amount of time and money getting glucose monitoring tests performed throughout their pregnancy.
“We had to do regular, routine glucose monitoring, and we kept getting these crazy bills in the mail after each visit saying we owed a lot more, even after the insurance covered their share of the cost. I’m talking two to three hundred dollars for each visit,” said Joshi, a native of Statesville. “I kept looking around at different labs for a better price. Plus, we had to have an appointment way in advance and go on a certain day at a specific time. It was very inconvenient and it took forever. And then, a few weeks later, we’d receive the bills. I thought, ‘This is ridiculous.’”
A friend suggested the couple try Any Lab Test Now, a retail medical testing company that lets individuals order lab work directly without the need for a doctor’s order or health insurance. There was a clinic in Huntersville, and so they went.
“It was a game changer for us,” Joshi said. “We walked in, the visit was so smooth, we were out of there within 15 minutes and there was only one price, with no surprise bill arriving weeks later. It really opened my eyes to the fact that you can get blood work done without going to a doctor. I didn’t know that was an option that was even possible.”
After their son’s birth, Joshi, who at the time was living in Mooresville and owns a pizza restaurant, started looking into opening an Any Lab Test Now clinic in his hometown. After visiting the Any Lab leadership team in Atlanta a few months later, he realized being a franchise owner would be a great fit for him. His brother-in-law, Rahul Patel, a clinical researcher at a nearby university, joined forces with him.
Their clinic, which is one of 260 Any Lab Test Now locations nationwide, offers more than 8,000 individual lab tests. Joshi’s clinic opened earlier this summer at 1921 E. Broad, near where Interstate 77 intersects with I-40, making it accessible for individuals traveling from either direction.
“It’s a great resource for people who don’t have insurance or have a high deductible,” he said. “Pricing is transparent, you don’t need insurance and we don’t require appointments. You can just walk in. Our goal is to remove the red tape of getting lab work done.”
From hormone health panels and cancer screenings to annual checkups and DNA testing, individuals can discover answers to some of life’s most personal questions. Any Lab’s testing services cover the 8,000-plus tests, divided into four main categories. These include Clinical (routine blood work, wellness panels and organ function tests), DNA testing, Drug and Alcohol (urine, hair or blood screens for employers, courts or personal piece of mind) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (confidential screens).
Joshi said because Any Lab partners with major accredited laboratories across the country, they can order almost any diagnostic test a traditional doctor’s office can, except that clients can simply walk in without an appointment or prescription from a doctor.
The entire process is seamless. A medical assistant or phlebotomist draws the necessary amount of blood or collects any other appropriate biological specimen needed for the specific test, completes needed paperwork or chain-of-custody documentation and send to the certified lab partner for analysis. Test results are delivered to the individual within 24 to 72 business hours. Patients with a doctor’s or employer’s orders that need to comply with workplace safety programs, as well as clinical credentialing, can also have their lab test performed at Any Lab.
Joshi said one of the most popular tests clients choose is the Pick Three ($99), which includes 18 options and, as the name suggests, clients can choose three tests. The most popular tests are the complete blood count, the comprehensive metabolic panel and the hemoglobin A1C. Together, these three are the most foundational and frequently ordered routine blood tests in medicine, which provide a broad, comprehensive snapshot of one’s overall health, organ function and blood sugar control.
“It’s wonderful being able to help the community in this way,” Joshi said. “As a first-time client to Any Lab Test Now myself, I know firsthand how beneficial this service truly is for individuals looking for a seamless and transparent experience.”
Any Lab Test Now accepts cash, credit, debit, HSA and FSA cards. Because they do not accept, bill or process traditional health insurance, individuals pay upfront at the time of their visit (with no surprise bills on the back end). For more information, please visit anylabtestnow.com/statesville-28625.
