Services
Lab order online in Puerto Rico
A lab order online in Puerto Rico is the order the doctor gives you during your video visit so you can get tested at a lab near you: blood work, urine tests, strep tests, STI tests and more. You choose the lab. The order is included in your doctor visit, and reviewing the results is a US$49 follow-up visit for existing patients.
Is it an emergency? Call 911.
Is this an emergency?
This is not an emergency service. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have:
- Chest pain or pressure, or trouble breathing
- Confusion or fainting
- A fever with chills and back or side pain
- Sudden severe belly pain
Help lines
On this page(9)
Lab order online in Puerto Rico: what it is
It's the same lab order you'd get at a doctor's office, after a video visit instead. Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, a Puerto Rico-licensed physician, evaluates you and, when a test would help diagnose or monitor something, gives you the order to take to the clinical lab closest to you.
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; a lab order is one more tool in your visit, for adults and children of all ages.
Before you leave home
Why a video visit
For anything that isn’t an emergency, compare what each option takes.
| Comparison | Video visit | Emergency room | CDT or doctor’s office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting there | From home: join from your phone, tablet or computer. | Drive and find parking. | Drive and find parking. |
| Waiting room | Skip the waiting room: join from wherever you are in Puerto Rico. | Yes, a waiting room. | Yes, a waiting room. |
| Hours and time | We do not publish a wait time. Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text. | In Puerto Rico, a median of 4 h 52 min from arrival to departure for patients sent home (US: 2 h 42 min; Oct 2024–Sep 2025).1,2 | An in-person visit takes about 2 hours on average, including travel.3 |
| Price | US$79 visit · US$49 follow-up · US$35 forms. You see it before you pay; no insurance needed. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. |
| Language | Spanish or English, with the same doctor. | Depends on the place. | Depends on the place. |
| Prescriptions | If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. | Yes, if needed. | Yes, if needed. |
| When to go in person | If the doctor needs to examine you in person or run a test, she tells you and guides you. | In an emergency: chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness on one side or bleeding that won’t stop. Call 911. | If you need stitches, an X-ray or a test on the spot. |
For problems that are not emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.
Table sources
- 1. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – State”, measure OP-18b: median time in the emergency department, arrival to departure, for patients sent home (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 2. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – National”, measure OP-18b (US figure) (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 3. Ray KN et al., “Opportunity costs of ambulatory medical care in the United States,” Am J Manag Care 2015;21(8):567-74 (US data, 2003–2010) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
We found no published source for what a patient pays at an ER or a CDT in Puerto Rico, so we give no figure.
Your doctor
Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD
General practice physician
Several years of emergency-department experience.
Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative.
Which tests we order
The doctor orders the tests your situation calls for. The most common:
- Blood work: complete blood count, glucose and A1C, cholesterol and triglycerides, thyroid, kidney function, liver function, vitamin D and vitamin B12.
- Urinalysis and urine culture, for example when a UTI is suspected.
- Rapid strep test or throat culture for a sore throat.
- STI tests, with treatment if needed: see STI testing and treatment.
- HIV and hepatitis tests: read our guides to HIV testing and hepatitis testing.
- Other tests the doctor considers appropriate after evaluating you.
How it works in 3 steps
Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text.
Video visit.
The doctor evaluates you and, if a test is appropriate, gives you the order and tells you whether you need to fast or prepare.
Go to the lab of your choice
in Puerto Rico and get tested. The lab bills you directly for the tests.
[Review the results](route:guide-lab-results) with the doctor
at a follow-up video visit, with your results on paper or on your phone.
Price
The lab order is included in your US$79 doctor visit, at no extra charge. You pay the lab for the tests; if you want to use insurance for them, ask the lab.
Reviewing your results is a US$49 follow-up visit, for existing patients only. If your results show something that needs a full doctor visit, the doctor explains why and, only with your consent, you pay the difference. See the online follow-up visit.
Video visit
Doctor visit
US$79
For a new problem, urgent care (non-emergencies), primary care, children, birth control, STIs, skin and acne, and visitors. Includes a doctor's note if you need one.
- You’re charged when you request the visit.
- Full refund if the visit can’t take place
When the doctor orders a lab test
Many problems can be diagnosed from your symptoms and what the doctor sees on camera. She gives you a lab order online when a test would help decide, for example:
- To confirm an infection, like strep throat, which can only be confirmed with a test, or a UTI in a young child or one that keeps coming back.
- To monitor a condition such as type 2 diabetes: the CDC notes most people with diabetes have an A1C test at least twice a year.
- To monitor a long-term medicine that calls for it.
- For preventive tests that fit your age and history.
You choose the lab
Use any clinical lab you like, anywhere in Puerto Rico. We have no agreements with any lab and take no money from labs, so we don't steer you to one.
Your results don't reach us automatically: ask the lab for them and bring them to your follow-up visit. Call the lab before you go to check hours, whether you need an appointment and what the tests cost.
When to go to the ER
Don't wait for a result if you have chest pain, trouble breathing, confusion, a fever with chills and back pain, or severe belly pain: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Book your visit
Book a visit and choose Doctor visit (US$79) if you need the doctor to evaluate you and order tests. If we've already seen you and you have your results, choose Follow-up visit (US$49).
How we care for you
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you.
We see adults and children of all ages. Patients under 21: a parent with patria potestad (parental authority) or a legal guardian is on camera for the whole visit and shows photo ID.
Real-time video visit. We send you a secure video link. It works on your phone, tablet or computer.
If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. We do not prescribe controlled substances.
You must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit (visitors, tourists and cruise passengers are welcome).
In an emergency, call 911.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a lab order without a visit?
Where do I get the tests done?
How much do the tests cost?
How much is it to review my results?
Can you order tests for my child?
Need to see the doctor?
US$79Doctor visit
- You’re charged when you request the visit.
- Full refund if the visit can’t take place
Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text.
Doctor visit: US$79 — BookAbout this page
Author: The Health Initiative
Medical care provided by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD (PR license 24027)
Disclosure: Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative
Published: 2026-09-30 · Updated: 2026-10-02
Sources (5)
- CDC: A1C test for diabetes and prediabetes (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Strep Throat (CDC) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Urinary Tract Infection Basics (CDC) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Detecting urinary tract infections in children (AAP, HealthyChildren.org) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Lab tests (MedlinePlus, NIH) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)