Frequently asked questions

For continuity of care, you should see your General Practitioner to obtain a Pathology Referral. 

You can then visit any one of our convenient COVID-19 Collection Centres.

Results are delivered by SMS usually within 24 hours of your sample arriving in the laboratory.

There is no charge for qualifying Medicare card holders. Please speak to our collection staff If you do not qualify or are not covered by Medicare

Your visit to us included some tests that are not able to be Bulk Billed or may incur an out-of-pocket fee. As we have your mobile phone number on file we sent you an SMS message with a secure link to an invoice that you can view online. Please note: If you were provided with an indication of the cost at the time of collection this is a guide only as we are not able to provide a final price prior to assessment by Medicare or your private health fund (if applicable).

As part of a leading healthcare company, Western Diagnostic Pathology recognises that we have a duty of care to protect both the public and our people, particularly vulnerable people, those at higher risk of more serious illness or who are unable to be vaccinated themselves.

To help keep our people, patients and communities safe, in addition to adhering to relevant public health orders, our parent company Healius has introduced a mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy across its business, including Western Diagnostic Pathology. This policy covers all our people working for Western Diagnostic Pathology.

Our vaccination policy is in addition to a number of other COVID-19 safety measures we have put in place to ensure the health and wellbeing of our people and patients, including the use of personal protective equipment, such as masks and gowns, and enhanced cleaning of our facilities.

Routine pathology is general processed within 48 hours of collection, however, specialised testing can take several days. Speak with your doctor for more details prior to your test.

Yes. Western Diagnostic Pathology will perform all testing regardless of what pathology company your request is from. If your health care provider has asked that a particular pathologist conduct the tests, then we will forward your collection to the requested pathologist.

Fasting is when you consume no food or drinks, with the exception of water, for a set period of time. Refer to the fasting patient information for further details.
If you have not been advised by your doctor to fast, then fasting prior to your testing is not required.

No, however our pathology collection centres are often busiest in the morning when fasting patients arrive first. Therefore, you may wish to arrive after 10am for a shorter wait time.

Make sure you drink plenty of water prior to your pathology testing – unless your GP has given you a reason not to. This will make it easier for our team member to conduct your blood test.
For children it may help to bring something such as a special toy or book to distract them while the collection occurs.
Further test specific pre-test collection information is provided in our Preparing For Your Test section.

Ordering your own test/s isn’t possible however, if you feel that a specific test may help you, speak with your GP who will advise you.

You’ll need to bring your current Medicare card and your blood test request form from your doctor (we accept all blood test request forms). You should also have a list of any current medication you’re taking.

Ensure you bring photo ID if you’re having tests for the following purposes:

  • Immigration
  • Occupational
  • Parentage DNA
  • Insurance
  • Drug screening
  • Court ordered testing

You can find operating hours for all our testing locations on our location search page.

Yes. Pathology request forms can be used up to 12 months from referral.

Usually not, however, this may depend on the type of test you’re having. You should not stop any of your medication unless your doctor has told you to do so. Please bring a list of all your current medications (including dosing) to your collection as you will need to disclose this to the collection staff member.

Western Diagnostic Pathology offers a home specimen collection service for patients who, due to the nature of their medical condition and/or immobility, are unable to attend a patient pathology collection centre.

This service can only be requested by your medical practitioner.

Our Holter/ABP/ECG page contains information about how to access these services.

We have more than 250 collection centres in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, To locate your closest centre, click here.

No, as a condition of entry to our collection centres filming on mobile phones or other devices is not permitted for the privacy of both staff and patients.

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