Laboratory

Most lab tests are performed at one of our St. Margaret’s Health hospital locations in Spring Valley or Peru. The results are normally provided to your physician the following day. However, not all tests are done at St. Margaret’s. If a test is sent out, results can be expected anytime from a few days to several weeks, depending on the test. Culture tests, such as urine cultures, throat cultures and stool cultures typically take two to four days before results are provided. Please keep in mind, turnaround times for any lab test can vary. 

If you’re having a lipid profile, a 12 to 14-hour fast is recommended. Fasting blood glucose (blood sugar) requires an 8 to 10-hour fast. For all other testing, fasting requirements are determined by your physician or health care provider. 

It is our policy that results should be provided by the patient’s  health care provider, not the Laboratory. Receiving results from the health care provider allows the patient to ask questions about the results. 

The quickest way for a patient to view test results is through the St. Margaret’s MyCare Patient Portal. For more information on our patient portal or to login, click here. You may also click the “Patient Portal” button in the top menu, in the upper right corner (you may need to scroll to the top of this page to do so). 

Please address any questions about your test results with your health care provider. Your health care provider will interpret the meaning of your test results using information from your medical history physical examination or other test results. You can call your medical provider or send him or her a message through the appropriate St. Margaret’s patient portal. 

Call the appropriate Laboratory (Spring Valley or Peru) anytime with questions. For Spring Valley’s lab, call (815) 664-1471, or for Peru’s, call (815) 780-3511.

Please contact Patient Accounts/Billing concerning questions about your bill. The number is (815) 664-1575.