Scheduling Lab Tests: Special Instructions

Some less common lab tests require special instructions. Use this chart to find test instructions and the UCSF Health location that performs the test you need.
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When scheduling a test at a UCSF lab, please note the limitations and special instructions below. If you have questions, please contact our laboratory staff at (415) 353-1667.
Test Limitations or special instructions
1-hour glucose tolerance test Patient must arrive before 3:30 p.m. at Mission Bay, Mount Zion or Parnassus blood draw lab.
2-hour glucose tolerance test Patient must arrive before 2 p.m. at Mission Bay, Mount Zion or Parnassus blood draw lab.
3-hour glucose tolerance test Patient must arrive before 1:30 p.m. at Mission Bay, Mount Zion or Parnassus blood draw lab.
4Kscore Mission Bay only.
Acylcarnitine profile Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Aldosterone
 Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
AlloSure Mission Bay, Parnassus and Berkeley Outpatient.
Alpha-galactosidase activity Offered M-Th before noon. Not offered Fridays or UCSF holidays.
Ammonia Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Antidiuretic hormone Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Any glucose tolerance test Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
BCR-ABL quantitative Not offered the day before any UCSF holiday.
Blood gas (all sources) Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Body fluid, cerebrospinal fluid or sputum tests Not collected by blood draw labs.
Bordetella pertussis antibody Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Carnitine, plasma or serum Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Cincinnati and Wisconsin blood bank samples Special handling required.
Cold agglutinin Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Complement total Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
COVID-19 PCR tests Not collected by blood draw labs. If you're experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, contact your provider for guidance.
Cryoglobulin Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Dihydrotestosterone Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Genetic testing Forms required.
Glucose tolerance test (two-hour, three-hour, nonpregnant) Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
HeartCare/AlloHeart Parnassus only. Must be collected before 1 p.m.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) breath kits
 Not collected at blood draw labs.
Heparin levels Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Homocysteine Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Ionized calcium Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Immune cell function Offered M-Th before noon. Not offered Fridays or UCSF holidays.
Lactic acid Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Lymphocyte mitogen or antigen stimulation Offered M-Th before noon.
Lymphocyte T-cell subsets, naive and memory Offered M-Th all day or Friday before 11 a.m.
Metanephrines, free, fractionated plasma Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Natural killer cells, functional Offered M-Th before noon.
Neutrophil oxidative index Immunology lab appointment required.
Obstetric trimester screening, including first and second trimester screening Forms required.
Platelet aggregation studies, platelet function tests or VerifyNow Parnassus only. Must preschedule or be approved by a Parnassus hematology provider.
Platelet function testing Hematology lab appointment required.
QuantiFERON Not offered on UCSF holidays.
Quantitative amino acids, plasma Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Selected special coagulation testing, such as heparin levels, platelet aggregations and platelet function assays (VerifyNow). Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Semen analysis
 Not collected at blood draw labs.
Serotonin Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Sterols Offered only at Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
Swabs Not collected at blood draw labs.
Trace metal testing, including zinc and copper Offered at Parnassus, Mission Bay, Mount Zion and Berkeley.
Transplant donor ID screen and nucleic acid testing Must be collected before 10 a.m. on Fridays and any day before a holiday.

UCSF Health medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.