By Roy Martinez
Texas Border Business
You have probably seen it as you drive up on North 10th and wondered what is Doc’s Laboratory Services. Well wonder no more.
Doc’s Laboratory Services is a full reference lab providing services to physicians, home health companies, and any patient looking to have their blood analyzed.
The idea for the new business is a brainchild of young entrepreneurs Jason Baker and Michael Sotelo. Sotelo says he and his partner saw a need in the community and felt it was necessary to meet that need, “We offer a wide range of tests from allergy testing to CBCs to vitamin D, we also offer something which not many labs do, a competitive price per test for private pay patient.”
Sotelo adds many patients avoid going to see a physician because they lack insurance. He says, “It’s not until we are sick that we get up and go to the doctor.” The reference lab is a way for people “to start taking charge of their health, they can do voluntary screenings, whether it’s once a month once a year, at least this way they can take charge of their health and not so much get sick then in turn causing more debt.”
Doc’s Laboratory Services has just brought online a state of the art Allergy and Auto Immune Testing instrument that can perform many tests with one blood draw, according to Sotelo, “What this machine is capable of is that through a single vial of blood, we can run that against hundreds of allergens. So in other words, instead of going and getting the traditional hundreds of pricks on your back we are able to do that same thing with one blood test.”
Doc’s Laboratory is meeting a need, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), McAllen has been named one of the worst cities across the United States when it comes to allergies.
Things have gotten better, in 2011 McAllen was ranked number one as of the worst cities for spring allergies. This year McAllen is ranked number 6 and improvement from number five last year for fall allergies.
Not all insurances cover allergy testing according to Sotelo, “But we do offer an opportunity for private pay patients a test which is very affordable and you will be able to select from fifty to one hundred allergens to determine which ones you want to be tested for.” If you know that you’re allergic to a certain foods, like peanuts, you have a little itching and reaction to it, you can test for that and find out for sure if you are allergic to it. Doc’s Lab guarantees a 24 hour turn around, meaning you get your results within 24 hours.
Sotelo says, “Now patients can live their lives without the runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing. Doc’s Lab can test for environmental allergens such as weeds, grasses, pet dander, and animals, he says, “It has even gotten to the point where we are able to tell what species of dog you are allergic to.” They can also tell you what foods you may be allergic to.
There is no age limit on who is a potential candidate for allergy testing. Candidates ages range from infants to the geriatric patients. Sotelo adds, “allergic reactions are something we have to live with, and unfortunately there are a lot of people that are living with them in the valley.”
Doc’s Laboratory Services is located at 7000 N. 10th Street, Suite C-1 in McAllen. For a complete list of services visit www.DocsLabservicces.com or call them at 956 992 9676. MDN
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