Detailed info on Doctor's Choice lab co-op (long but worth it)

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Since there are still quite a few of the docs on this list that want to benefit from joining Doctor's Choice, I figured I'd post Dr. Guidry's info again and some more specific information about the various discounts involved in being a member and prices etc.

First, here is Dr. Guidry's info. In addition to the information I am posting, he can go over specific questions with each of you and he is the one to contact when you want to sign up.

Dr. Deo L. Guidry

National Account Manager

Doctors Choice Professional Laboratory & Radiology Service P.O. Box 35089 Dallas, TX 75235 1-888-8-LAB-RAD (852-2723) Guidry@...

"Doctor's Choice (www.LabRad.net) is contracted with Quest Diagnostics, Biochemical Laboratories, Oncolab, Alletess Medical Laboratory, Spectracell Labs, and Diagnos-Techs Clinical & Research Laboratory to offer doctors, who are licensed in their respective states to perform laboratory procedures, a means to order almost any laboratory test at an extremely discounted price." Through these labs, we can not only get traditional lab work but functional lab work like stress index tests, urine and saliva hormone testing, allergy testing and more.

When they state "extremely discounted" they aren't kidding. The custom panel that I developed through them costs me $89, through Quest it would have cost about triple that and $130 through Professional Co-op Services (Doctor's Choice competitors, I became a member of PCS first but after learning about the better discounts all around through DC, I switched). They also recently signed with Diagnostechs, I have an account directly through them and over paid on two adrenal stress index test kits that I ordered by about $50. Now I can get them directly through DC.

In addition to great prices on primary and advanced functional labs and even radiology services, we get great discounts on things like: Pulse oximeters, Bio-impedence analyzers, urinalysis strips, urine indican tests, Oxidata stress tests, rapid strep, mono, H. Pylori, HCG (pregnancy) tests and more.

When you sign up with them, if you want to do blood draws or functional urine sediment/reagent tests in office, you will be set up with all the equipment including a centrifuge at little to no cost. I received a centrifuge from quest for free and am in the process of getting set up to do draws in office. If you don't want to do draws in office, quest has draw stations all over the place. (http://www.questdiagnostics.com/hcp/psc/jsp/hcp_psc_index.jsp?flow_from=professional)

It only costs $8 to utilize their draw stations.

Lastly, DC is starting to sponsor some great seminars; there is one in Feb. 2008 in TX by Dr. Weatherby ND and Dr. Grisanti DC on and introduction and how to implement functional medicine into you existing practice. I HIGHLY recommend going to see these docs. I am in month 4 of a 5 month training program with them on functional medicine and they have a lot of really great implementable information (www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com) .

Joining is very simple and economical:

Contact Dr. Guidry and tell him that Dr. Irving told you about Doctor's Choice (this is because DC went through a HUGE process for me to get Quest to design my custom lab and I told them I'd help them get the word out) Your initial membership fee is $300.00, this amount covers your enrollment fee and the first year's membership dues. After that (year 2 and beyond) the annual dues are $50.00 and may be waived if your average monthly volume exceeds $5,000.00 per month over the past 12 months (not very likely that chiros will benefit from this).

Like I've stated before, I made the $300 back in thee labs. I had two patients who needed some comprehensive labs with cardio markers, iron, thyroid and hormones. Their PCP told them the labs were going to cost $450. My cost was $150 and I charged $100 for the interp/report and treatment when the results came in. Neither of them had insurance but there are CPT codes for all the lab values if your patients have insurance that covers this type of stuff. The third needed my base panel, it cost me $89 and I charged $100 for the interp/report and treatment when the results came in. My treatments consisted on regular chiropractic services and nutritional support for all three because nothing pathological was found but there were many functional findings. The support was mostly diet with some choice supplements.

Anyway, I have a couple of electronic copies of flyers for DC and the upcoming seminar if you're interested. Email me at timirvingdc@...

Dr. Tim Irving DC

Portland, OR