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.