# What happens if I have an abnormal lab result from a blood panel?

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Last updated: May 16, 2024

Conflicts to declare: None. Please remember to consult with a healthcare provider prior to undertaking any of the protocols available here. 
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Publicly-covered lab testing from a standard family doctor exists to **diagnose, investigate, treat, and prevent** disease**.** That is to say—it is a disease-centred approach.

Conversely, **Optimal** is *not* intended to detect or diagnose disease, but to *optimize* your biomarkers.

Sometimes our blood panels will incidentally detect biomarkers with an abnormal value that may be suggestive of an underlying disease.

In this situation, our PHC-NP's will proceed with our standard follow-up protocol:

1. With your consent, we will direct you to follow-up with your family doctor and send them your biomarker results and a clinical note.
2. If you do not have a family doctor, and you wish to have one, we will attempt to connect you to a family physician who is accepting new patients in order to address this issue.
3. If you do not have a family doctor, and you do not wish to have one, we will direct you to one of our partner walk-in clinics to assess this issue. You will either be provided with a copy of your results to bring to this clinic, or, alternatively, with your consent, we will fax a copy to this walk-in clinic so that you do not need to bring any documentation.
4. In exceptional (and notably rare) circumstances, a substantially abnormal biomarker result may require our clinical staff to direct you to a hospital for immediate physician assessment on an urgent basis.