Why prices are not comparable
Venous blood, finger prick, dried blood, rapid test — what distinguishes them and why a cheap finger prick and a lab value are not the same thing.
Venous blood
The standard: drawn from a vein, analysed in a licensed lab. The official tariff positions refer to this method — and so do our price comparisons.
Capillary blood from the fingertip
A few drops instead of a tube. Sufficient for some values, less meaningful for others — prices for it are not directly comparable with lab values.
Dried blood by post
Collect yourself, let dry, send in. Convenient, but its own methodological category with its own error sources.
On-site rapid test (point of care)
Result in minutes at the pharmacy or practice. Often measures differently than the lab — a low price buys a different service here, not the same one cheaper.