Monroe, Ga. (August 2, 2023) – It all begins like this: the appearance of a bodily abnormality interrupts what appears to be a typical day. Maybe it’s a sharp pain that won’t let up and has you meeting with a medical professional immediately, or maybe it’s something a little more inconspicuous that you initially shrug off before it gradually evolves into something that raises a red flag, the kind that makes you start taking it seriously enough to finally set up that appointment with your doctor. Or, maybe it’s that general series of symptoms we all know and love—fever, cough, chills—that have us reaching for tissues and rapid, at-home tests.
Hawwa Frazier, D.O., family medicine physician with Piedmont Physicians of Bethlehem
All of the above are examples of situations that require diagnostic testing, which allows you or your provider to know what illness you are suffering from and develop a treatment plan. Diagnostic testing can sound a bit intimidating, but it exists for the opposite purpose. Whether they confirm that you don’t have the disease you initially thought you did and are able to put your mind at ease or pinpoint the specifics of your condition, diagnostic tests are designed to shed light on whatever ailment it is that you’re dealing with. And when it all comes down to it, they might just save your life—while it isn’t feasible to run to your doctor for every little cough and sneeze, reoccurring symptoms should not be ignored. In this type of situation, avoiding the problem could make it worse.
“Don’t let the fear of facing the prognosis keep you from finding out the truth,” said Hawwa Frazier, D.O., a family medicine physician with Piedmont Physicians of Bethlehem. “After all, within moderation, it’s much better to be on the cautious side of things than to find out you waited too long to begin any kind of substantial treatment.”
Some of the most common types of Diagnostic Testing include:
- In-Office Testing: Valuable tests for detecting specific sources of infection such as influenza, Covid-19, RSV, etc. They allow your provider to be good stewards of antibiotics and other medicines in your treatment.
- Blood Testing: These tests help diagnose a range of chronic conditions, from diabetes and high cholesterol to even rarer conditions. Turnaround time varies based on the complexity of the test, and results can take anywhere from a day to a week after testing occurs to be reported.
- Radiography: Traditional x-rays, which can reveal acute injuries, chronic bone conditions, or signs of more systemic disease. Some offices have these on site, adding convenience to your visit. Other imaging modalities such as CT, MRI, and ultrasound are often requested by your doctor in order for them to see more of a specific area or identify abnormalities not seen on x-ray.
- Endoscopy: Also used for screening, endoscopy allows the specialist to look directly inside your body at the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, or urinary tract, to name just a few.
Diagnostic Testing can be completed at many Piedmont locations, conveniently available all over Georgia. To schedule a visit with Primary Care, QuickCare, or Urgent Care, or to find a location near you, visit piedmont.org/patient-tools/piedmont-now.
About Piedmont: Piedmont is empowering Georgians by changing health care. We continue to fuel Georgia’s growth through safe, high-quality care close to home – an integrated health care system that provides a hassle-free, unified experience. Every year, we have over 30 million visits to Piedmont.org, more than 450,000 appointments scheduled online by patients and over 100,000 virtual visits. We are a private, not-for-profit organization that for centuries has lived up to our purpose to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. Today our organization is supported by a work force of more than 44,000 who care for 3.4 million patients across 1,600 locations and serving communities that comprise 80 percent of Georgia’s population. This includes 22 hospitals, including three inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, 65 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 QuickCare locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and more than 3,000 Piedmont Clinic members. Piedmont has provided $1.4 billion in uncompensated care and community benefit programming to the communities we serve over the past five years. In 2022, Forbes ranked us No. 166 on its list of the Best Large Employers in the United States. In 2021, the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that rates hospitals on safety, awarded Piedmont more A grades.
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