Searching for a TB test near me in Covington, LA? TB skin tests are part of the lineup at Total Health Urgent Care, a walk-in clinic a little north of downtown Covington that sees patients seven days a week, from a 7 AM open to a 7 PM close. Plan on two short trips, though. The CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis: Skin Test page says that after two or three days, you must return to have the skin test read.
You don’t have to feel sick to need one, as the CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis page points out. MedlinePlus, in its Tuberculosis Screening guide, lists starting a new job or entering a new school among the reasons you may need a TB screening test. So if a new job or a school program just handed you a TB form with a deadline, this guide is for you.
Before you grab your keys:
- Opening time is 7 AM and closing time is 7 PM, seven days running, and nobody needs an appointment.
- A skin test is two visits: the placement, then a reading 48 to 72 hours later.
- There’s no separate TB test price posted, so call (985) 400-5370 for an out-of-pocket estimate. Most major health plans are accepted, and the clinic handles billing your insurer.
Where can I get a TB test near me in Covington?
Head up Hwy 25 to Suite A, a little north of downtown Covington. TB skin tests appear on the Total Health urgent care services list, described as evaluation of high-risk exposure and skin placement for testing. That same list covers pre-employment examinations, which the clinic provides based on company requirements.
The CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis page says you can get tested for TB at the health department or at your health care provider’s office. If your search for a TB skin test near me or urgent care near me started with a form in hand, Total Health is right by where Hwy 190 crosses Hwy 25, and the clinic notes it’s conveniently located close to the communities of Folsom and Franklinton. Mandeville, Abita Springs, St Benedict, and Madisonville are on its list of communities served as well.
How does a TB skin test work?
A TB skin test takes two visits a few days apart. At the first, a provider places a small amount of testing fluid just under the skin of your forearm. At the second, a trained provider checks the spot and measures any firm bump. Step by step, per the CDC and MedlinePlus:
- Placement. Per the CDC’s skin test page, a health care provider uses a small needle to put some testing material under the skin on the lower part of your inner arm, and the testing fluid is called tuberculin. MedlinePlus’s PPD skin test page says a bump (welt) forms and usually goes away in a few hours as the material is absorbed.
- The waiting days. According to MedlinePlus’s Tuberculosis Screening guide, the test spot will be left uncovered, you’ll need to avoid touching it or putting lotions on it, and it’s okay to get it wet. If it itches, you can put an ice cube or cold cloth on it.
- The reading. The CDC’s Clinical Testing Guidance for Tuberculosis: Tuberculin Skin Test says the reaction should be read between 48 and 72 hours after administration by a health care worker trained to read TB skin results. The CDC’s skin test page adds that a trained health care provider will measure the size of the bump or reaction.
Miss that window and you start over. The same CDC guidance says, “A patient who does not return within 72 hours will need to be rescheduled for another skin test.” So count forward before your first visit. By that 48-to-72-hour window, a test placed on a Friday morning would be read between Sunday morning and Monday morning. Total Health keeps 7 AM to 7 PM hours every day of the week, and a call to (985) 400-5370 before placement is a good way to ask about timing your return visit.
TB skin test or blood test: which do you need?
Your provider picks. The CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis page says there are two types of tests for TB infection, the TB blood test and the TB skin test, and that your health care provider will choose the TB test that is best for you. One practical difference is the number of visits. We built the side-by-side below ourselves from the CDC, MedlinePlus, and Cleveland Clinic pages credited under it.
Table sources: the CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis: Skin Test page (placement, reading, and BCG), its Testing for Tuberculosis: Blood Test page (one visit), MedlinePlus’s Tuberculosis Screening guide (how the blood is drawn), and Cleveland Clinic’s TB Test page (lab testing of the sample).
MedlinePlus states that TB blood tests are more accurate than TB skin tests and that the blood draw usually takes less than five minutes. Cleveland Clinic’s TB Test page explains that the blood sample goes to a laboratory for testing. Had the BCG vaccine? Tell your provider. The CDC’s skin test page says that if you have ever received it, your health care provider should recommend the TB blood test. Total Health’s services list names TB skin tests specifically and doesn’t mention a TB blood test, so phone the clinic first if a blood test is what you need.
Who needs a TB test in Louisiana?
Anyone with TB symptoms, a known exposure, a higher risk of TB, or a work, school, travel, or immigration requirement may need a TB test. The CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis page says you may need a TB test if you have symptoms of TB disease, spent time with someone who has active TB disease, have factors that raise your risk of active TB disease, or face employment, school, travel, or immigration health screening requirements. Its testing page adds, “You may need a TB test even if you do not feel sick.”
Louisiana adds its own rule for certain health care settings. Under the state Sanitary Code, La. Admin. Code tit. 51, § II-503, employees, students beginning clinical rotations, and volunteers with no history of TB infection or disease, whose duties include direct patient care at a licensed hospital or nursing home or at a state Office of Public Health parish health unit or outpatient facility, must show they’re free of TB in a communicable state. The rule accepts a negative skin test given by the Mantoux method or an FDA-approved blood assay; a normal chest X-ray if the skin test or blood assay is positive; or, if the X-ray is other than normal, a licensed physician’s statement that the person is non-infectious. Separately, the CDC’s Baseline Tuberculosis Screening and Testing for Health Care Personnel page says all U.S. health care personnel should be screened for TB upon hire.
Tested periodically for work, like a health care worker? Ask whether you need a two-step test. The CDC’s skin test page says a provider may perform one if you’re going to be screened for TB periodically, as a health care worker would be. If the first step is classified as negative, a second skin test is given one to three weeks after the first test is read. Give yourself extra time before your start date!
Most people in the United States are at low risk for TB, according to CDC’s Provisional 2025 Tuberculosis Data, United States report, which also says, “In 2025, 10,260 TB cases were provisionally reported with a corresponding rate of 3.0 cases per 100,000 population.” Separately, CDC estimates that up to 13 million people in the United States have latent TB infection, according to its Latent TB Infection in the United States estimates page.
What does a positive TB skin test mean?
A positive result means TB germs are in your body, and it doesn’t automatically mean TB disease. The CDC’s skin test page says your health care provider will do other tests to determine if you have inactive TB or active TB disease, and those tests may include a chest x-ray and a test of the sputum (phlegm) you cough up. MedlinePlus’s PPD skin test page is blunt about it: “A positive skin test does not mean that a person has active TB.”
What counts as positive depends on the size of the firm swelling and on your risk group. MedlinePlus’s PPD skin test page says that in people with no known risks of TB, 15 mm or more of firm swelling at the site indicates a positive reaction, while 10 mm or more is considered positive in several groups, including health care workers.
A negative result isn’t a guarantee either. MedlinePlus’s Tuberculosis Screening guide notes that a TB test can come back falsely negative if you’ve contracted TB within the past 8 to 10 weeks or have had certain measles or smallpox vaccines. If you do test positive, the CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis page suggests asking your provider for a written record of that result, which helps if you’re asked to take another TB test in the future.
How much does a TB test cost near Covington?
Total Health doesn’t post a separate TB test price, so the fastest answer is a phone call. The clinic’s pricing and insurance page shows self-pay rates of $130 (office visit) and $75 (X-ray), and neither line is a TB test price. With so many services on offer, Total Health suggests phoning ahead to get an accurate out-of-pocket figure for your visit.
Using insurance? The CDC’s Testing for Tuberculosis page says public and private health care plans may cover TB testing costs. Total Health takes most major health insurance and can send the bill straight to your insurance company. Bring your primary card, plus a secondary one if you carry two, and if you’re unsure about coverage, the clinic suggests contacting your insurance company. Employers can ask about company contracts, since the services page says discount contract pricing may be available for physicals, both yearly and pre-employment, plus testing. The page doesn’t spell out which tests that includes, so ask when you call.
What are the symptoms of active TB disease?
Inactive TB causes no symptoms, while active TB disease in the lungs can bring a cough lasting 3 weeks or longer, among other signs. The CDC’s testing page says people with inactive TB do not feel sick and cannot spread TB germs to others. The CDC’s Signs and Symptoms of Tuberculosis page lists these symptoms of active TB disease, with the first three tied to TB in the lungs:
- A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
- Pain in the chest
- Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm) from deep inside the lungs
- Weakness or fatigue, weight loss, and no appetite
- Chills, fever, and sweating at night
For more on coughs that won’t quit, our guide to a lingering cough after a cold covers when to get one checked. For a medical emergency, call 911. Otherwise, if you have symptoms of active TB disease, the CDC’s signs and symptoms page advises that you contact your health care provider or local health department and ask about TB testing.
What makes the best TB test clinic near Covington?
Honestly, the best clinic for a TB skin test is one you can get back to in time for the 48-to-72-hour reading, without an appointment, and with cost answers before you arrive. Here’s how Total Health’s urgent care in Covington, LA lines up:
- Seven-day hours: 7 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays and Sundays as well as weekdays, so ask when you call which days work for your reading.
- No appointment: walk right in, or ask for an appointment instead.
- More than one service: pre-employment exams, 5 and 10 panel drug screens, and DOT exams are on the same services list.
- Experience: over 25 years in ER and urgent care medicine are behind the clinic’s creator, Jennifer Duncan, APRN, MSN, FNP-C.
TB test questions we hear
No. Walk-in patients are seen seven days a week between 7 AM and 7 PM. Calling ahead can still help you plan your placement and reading visits.
The reading happens 48 to 72 hours after placement, according to the CDC. If you can’t make it back within 72 hours, you’ll need a new skin test.
Yes. MedlinePlus says it’s okay to get the test spot wet. Leave it uncovered, avoid touching it or putting lotion on it, and try an ice cube or cold cloth if it itches.
Tell your provider before testing. The CDC says BCG can cause a false-positive skin test reaction and that TB blood tests are the preferred test for people who received it.
Not necessarily. A positive result means TB germs are in your body. Your provider will order other tests, which may include a chest x-ray, to check for inactive TB versus active TB disease.
It may. The CDC says public and private health care plans may cover TB testing costs. The Covington clinic works with most major insurance plans and bills them directly, so confirm your benefits with your insurer.
Got a TB form due? Total Health Urgent Care’s Suite A sits by the Hwy 190 junction, at 73015 Hwy 25 in Covington (ZIP 70435). Come by any day, 7 AM to 7 PM, or call (985) 400-5370 to ask about timing your two visits.
Total Health Urgent Care’s Covington team prepared this TB testing guide for St. Tammany Parish readers. The clinic’s owner, Jennifer Duncan, APRN, MSN, FNP-C, launched Total Health. Treat this page as general information, not a diagnosis, and ask a provider about your own case.