Scheduling Lab Tests: Special Instructions
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. |
Angiotensin-converting enzyme | 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. |