Medichecks tests

[Beads]

Hello.

Remember all those posts from a month or so again with medichecks results missing folate results? They've fixed the problem by making the folate tests a proper blood draw rather than a fingerprick test. This has happened in the last few weeks as daughter bought a test about 3 weeks ago and got the fingerprick one. They've upped their price for the UltraVit test by £20, presumably to cover the extra equipment for the blood draw. But the 'problem' I have is that it then costs an additional £30 for an appointment or £55 for a visit from a nurse. Neither of which are going to be anywhere near as easy to fit into my day as running round the back garden and then dripping into a tube over the kitchen sink.

Back in November when I got a kit I had to fill 2 tubes, at the beginning of May it was only 1 tube, then there started being reported on here that folate results weren't coming through.

Anyway, I've done some investigation on their website and made myself a spreadsheet. Info in the picture (current as of 11:30am, 5/7/20). The nutrition check test is the only one where they test folate without a full blood draw, you get other things tested as well, eg cholesterol. Combine it with one of the thyroid monitoring tests and you get all your markers. But if you click that you want the tests done at the same time they combine them and want a proper blood draw.

Other testing companies are available, but as my info from earlier tests is with medichecks I feel I'd prefer to stay.

Hope this helps someone.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Beads

They've upped their price for the UltraVit test by £20, presumably to cover the extra equipment for the blood draw.

No they haven't £99 is the normal price. When the price is £79 that's when they put the UltraVit test on Thyroid Thursday special offer.

The "arrange your own sample" is also free of any extra charge and they would enclose their usual venous blood draw kit for this.

I think the problem with the folate often failing with the UltraVit test with one tube is because Medichecks microtainers hold 0.6ml of blood.

I always do the equivalent full thyroid/vitamin panel with Blue Horizon (was Thyroid Plus Eleven, now Thyroid Premium Gold) and that uses 1 x microtainer but it holds 0.8ml. It includes folate and I've never had one of those tests fail to do all tests listed. It's more expensive than Medichecks but I wait until they have an offer and buy it then, I've always managed to buy my BH one within a couple of £s of the price of the Medichecks one by waiting for a special offer price. Currently they have 30% off all "Premium" tests - thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Other testing companies are available, but as my info from earlier tests is with medichecks I feel I'd prefer to stay.

They use the same labs, usually either County Pathology or The Doctor's Laboratory, all mine tend to go to County Pathology from both BH and Medichecks. When I print the report from Medichecks it actually names the laboratory but, of course, the address is on the return envelope so we can see which lab it's going to anyway.

[Beads in reply to SeasideSusie]

The ultra vit used to include folate, it doesn't any more, the ultravit plus folate is £119 (a couple of months ago this was called the UltraVit and cost £99, plus the £2 for the extra postage due to covid).

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Beads]

The ultra vit used to include folate, it doesn't any more

Yes, I can see that. But you said

They've upped their price for the UltraVit test by £20, presumably to cover the extra equipment for the blood draw.

and they haven't. The old UltraVit normal price was £99 and when on special offer was £79. They probably should have renamed the tests as using the same names has caused confusion.

Now they've introduced the new test UltraVit with Folate and it's more expensive than the old, original UltraVit that did include folate, but you can still "arrange your own blood draw" for no extra cost so anyone who has access to a nurse friend who can do the blood draw for them wont have to go to the expense of the clinic or home phlebotomy cost.

If you want a fingerprick test, which will probably be done by the same lab, then use Blue Horizon. Their normal price for the Premium Gold is £129, with the code for 30% discount it comes to £103.20 which is a lot cheaper than the new Medichecks UltraVit with Folate, and the Blue Horizon test can be done by fingerprick - one tube 0.8ml blood.