Useful information.
All important questions & answers.
Before your visit
All of our locations are easily accessible by public transport as well as your own car.
All of our locations are generally handicapped accessible and barrier-free. If you still encounter any problems, simply contact us by phone, our team will be happy to help you!
No, an appointment is not necessary, you just need to come during our blood collection hours. However, you need to make an appointment for special tests (eg., sperm analysis, oral glucose tolerance test, hydrogen breath test).
For routine examinations, you can come by during our laboratory opening hours without an appointment.
Here you will find a list of all locations and services with information about whether an appointment is necessary.
IHR LABOR is open on Sundays and all public holidays, as well as on December 24th. and 31.12. closed.
Please see the homepage for the closed Saturdays of IHR LABOR 1090.
Generally, you do not need to make an appointment for a blood test. However, you can make an appointment for special tests, such as sperm analysis, oral glucose tolerance tests or hydrogen breath tests. Some special require you to comply with a certain diet or avoid eating certain foods for a certain period beforehand. Our team is available to answer any questions which you might have.
Please bring the referral slip from your doctor and your e-card along when you have the test done and register to have a blood sample taken at reception.
Please bring the letter of referral from your doctor and your e-card along when you have the blood test.
We have contracts with all health insurance companies and bill them directly.
- Patients with referral:
- You will usually receive the assignment from your treating doctor, doctor of choice, hospital, etc.
- The validity is 4 weeks from the date of issue.
- Please note: not all values are paid for by your health insurance company. Payment for parameters not adopted is due immediately. Our staff will inform you about the costs before the blood test.
- Patients without referral:
- If there is no allocation, you can also pay for the analyzes privately. Payment is due immediately.
- If you make a transfer for parameters that the health insurance company covers, you will receive the money back for the parameters listed on the subsequent transfer. Please let us know your IBAN for the return transfer.
Payment: You can pay with us in cash, debit or credit card (Visa, Mastercard and American Express).
Usually, the doctor who is treating you will issue the necessary letter of referral.
Yes, of course. If you come as a private patient without a letter of referral, we will inform you of the costs you will incur before we do the test. With your agreement, we will issue you with an invoice which must be paid immediately. You may be able to submit the invoice to your private health insurance provider. Our staff are happy to provide you with the information you need!
If you want to submit a letter of referral after the blood test, we kindly ask that you to pay the costs in advance. You then have 4 weeks to submit the letter of referral, after which the costs will be reimbursed to you.
In general, there are no waiting times. Depending on the number of patients, waiting can be expected 5-30 min after registration at the reception.
Please come to the following tests fasting = do not eat or drink anything for 8 to 12 hours beforehand (except water, which is always allowed before a blood test):
- Triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, apolipoprotein A or B
- glucose (blood sugar)
- Calcium, phosphorus (or phosphorus-calcium levels)
- Blood sugar stress test (OGTT)
- Breathing tests
- Insulin, C-peptide
- Fatty acid status
- Homocysteine
- Gastrine
We also recommend a morning blood sample for the following analyzes (unless otherwise ordered by the referring doctor):
- CrossLaps (CTX)
- Aldosterone, renin
- Cortisol, ACTH
- testosterone
- Prolactin
- Thyroid examination
- Adrenaline, norepinephrine
- FSH, LH, estradiol
Generally, it is better to wait until after giving your blood sample to take your medications. If medications must be taken urgently and this cannot be delayed, of course you may take them with a sip of water.
PLEASE NOTE: If the test is to determine your body’s own hormone production, please stop taking any tablets containing that hormone 10 days before the test (e.g. thyroid hormone replacement therapy, the pill etc.) This also applies to hormone plasters!
Please come to the blood sample collection with an empty stomach. This means that you should take your last meal at least 10 hours before the blood is taken. Please also refrain from smoking.
In general, you should have an empty stomach for tests to determine blood sugar and blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides). It is also recommended for tests on your liver (bilirubin, GOT, GPT, GGT) and pancreas (lipase, amylase). However, if you are unsure, coming along with an empty stomach can’t do any harm!
Generally, it is better to wait until after giving your blood sample to take your medications. If medications must be taken urgently, of course you may take them with a sip of water.
If the body’s own hormone production is to be assessed, medication containing these hormones should be discontinued 10 days in advance after consulting your physician (e.g., thyroid hormone replacement therapy, contraceptive pill etc.). This also applies to hormone patches.
Yes. Therefore, it is usually better to wait until after the test to take your medication. If medications must be taken urgently of course you may take them with a sip of water.
If you are having a so-called “trough level” measured, you should wait until after the test to take your medications.
If you have a letter of referral from the doctor treating you, most analyses will be paid for by the Austrian health insurance providers. We settle the costs directly with the relevant helath insurance provider. You do not incur any further costs. Some special analyses or services which are not included in the laboratory catalogue are not paid for by the health insurance provider; you must pay for these yourself. If costs incur, our staff will inform you of these before the test is done.
Yes, we can do this test. Please bring the official doctor’s letter of referral and your official photo ID with you. Your urine will be tested for the presence of drugs. You will have to provide a sample under supervision in our premises.
Of course, you can also come to give a blood sample if you don’t have a letter of referral. You will be informed of the costs before the test. With your agreement, we will issue you with an invoice which must be paid immediately.
During your visit
Yes, although you could incur some costs for this. Our staff are happy to provide you with the information you need!
We take blood from children of all ages. Regarding blood collection times for children under 6 years of age at the various locations, please refer to the following link: https://ihrlabor.at/dienste/
In order to make blood collection less painful for children, it is possible to apply Emla cream (active ingredients: prilocaine and lidocaine) for local anesthesia to the potential collection site in advance (acting time 45-60 minutes!). Please let us know if this is desired.
The waiting time depends on the number of patients on the respective day. As a rule, you wait between 15 – 30 minutes in the morning and a little less in the afternoon.
Please note that the order in which samples are taken does not necessarily correspond to the order in which they are received!
Yes, we can do this test. Please bring the official doctor’s letter and your official photo ID with you. Your urine will be tested for the presence of drugs. You will have to provide a sample under supervision in our premises.
Of course, you can also come to give a blood sample if you don’t have a referral slip. You will be informed of the costs before the test. With your agreement, we will issue you with an invoice which must be paid immediately.
You can pick up urine cups, stool tubes and stool packets in advance from us at the counter.
Spontaneous urine: Morning urine is not necessary for routine examinations. You can collect the urine directly in our laboratory toilet.
Stool: For qualitative analysis, the stool sample should be brought to the laboratory on the same day of collection.
Yes, although you could incur some costs for this. Our staff are happy to provide you with the information you need!
No, we don’t have any creams like this in the laboratory. If you like, you can apply Emla cream (available from the pharmacy) at home inside the elbow area.
After your visit
Routine parameters are processed on the same or next working day; i.e. for standard examinations, the results are usually available 24 hours after your visit.
Special examinations and follow-up examinations, if necessary, require more time and the results may therefore take a little longer (up to 4 weeks).
The following delivery of findings is possible:
- Via online portal:
If the results are available online, you will receive a message by email. The system is subject to the strictest security requirements and is protected from unauthorized access by third parties. - Postal delivery (for a postage fee)
- Collection at the IHR LABOR location during our opening hours:
Please have your ID or e-card ready for collection. If you would like to pick up a report for a relative, you will need their e-card (photo is sufficient). - Delivery to your referring doctor.
Your referring doctor is responsible for providing information about the findings, as he or she carried out the anamnesis with you and can establish a connection between the parameters and the anamnesis.
Our specialists will be happy to provide you with general information. We ask for your understanding that for data protection reasons we do not provide information about findings over the telephone.
Yes, family members must present your e-card/ID card at the counter.
No, we cannot provide any results over the telephone for reasons of data protection. We can only tell you over the telephone whether your results are ready for collection.
Yes, we also provide home visits. However, this could result in some costs for you. Our staff are happy to provide you with the information you need!