How Should a UDT Panel Be Designed?
For healthcare organizations and professionals (B2B) · Physician-led · Updated 2026-07-12 · CLIA #45D2048957 · CAP #8722734
The right panel is the smallest one that answers your question. Analyte maximization is a compliance risk, not a service.CLIA #45D2048957 · CAP #8722734 · Same-day results · Walk-ins welcome
Around your patient population and your clinical question — not around the number of billable analytes. A pain practice, an addiction treatment program and an employer have genuinely different needs. What all three share is one non-negotiable: fentanyl must be targeted specifically, because a standard opiate screen will not see it.
Design principles
| Principle | Why |
|---|---|
| Start from the clinical question | Panel scope follows medical necessity, and is documented |
| Always include fentanyl / norfentanyl | The dominant driver of overdose deaths, invisible to opiate screens |
| Include prescribed medications | Adherence assessment requires them — medication monitoring |
| Define reflex rules on clinical criteria | Not "confirm everything, every time" |
| State coverage explicitly | What is covered, and what is not. No implied comprehensiveness |
A laboratory that proposes the largest possible panel by default is optimizing its billing, not your clinical decision. Ask any lab to justify each analyte against your population — including us.
Compliance. No payment for referrals, no revenue sharing, no inducements. Testing is performed on the basis of medical necessity and a physician order, at fair market value, consistent with the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law.
FAQ
- Can we start small and expand?
- Yes. That is usually the right approach.
- Will you tell us to test more?
- No. Frequency is a clinical decision and we will not push volume.
- Can reflex confirmation be automated?
- Yes, on defined clinical criteria rather than blanket rules.
- How do we begin?
- Call (713) 266-0808 or use the provider portal.
References
- ASAM — Appropriate Use of Drug Testing
- CDC — Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids (2022)
- HHS OIG — Fraud and Abuse Laws (AKS / Stark)
- Our CLIA #45D2048957 and CAP #8722734 credentials — verify them yourself
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