Preparing for Your DNA Testing Appointment

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1. Arrive on Time

Please arrive at your scheduled appointment time. We may be unable to begin the appointment early, and late arrivals may need to be rescheduled to avoid delaying another client’s appointment.

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2. Bring Required Identification

All adult participants must bring current state- or federal-issued photo identification.

For minors, a parent or legal guardian must provide identification and sign the required consent forms. Depending on the type and purpose of the test, Paramex or the laboratory may also require a birth certificate, hospital birth record, custody order, or other proof of guardianship. We will explain the documents required when scheduling.

Legal testing requires identity verification, witnessed collection, completed consent forms, photographs, and documented chain of custody. Participants may be collected at separate appointments when approved by the laboratory.

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3. Payment Is Due Before Testing

Payment is due before services are performed. Paramex accepts:

• Cash

• Debit cards

• Credit cards, except American Express

• Company checks from established billing accounts

Personal checks and unapproved business checks are not accepted. Payment plans and installment payments are unavailable.

Attorneys, law firms, government agencies, tribal organizations, and approved companies may establish billing accounts for multiple-client testing. Accounts are not available for single-use or personal testing.

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4. Be Prepared to Answer Health-History Questions

Before collection, you may be asked whether you have:

• Ever received a bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant

• Recently received a blood transfusion

• A medical condition that could affect DNA testing

Prenatal clients will be asked additional eligibility questions concerning the pregnancy, maternal health, IVF or surrogacy, multiple-fetal pregnancy, medications, cancer, chromosomal abnormalities, chimerism, and other conditions that could affect testing.

Please answer all questions completely. Certain medical procedures or conditions may require laboratory review before we can proceed.

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5. Follow the Cheek-Swab Restrictions

Standard paternity testing through Alliance DNA uses sterile cotton swabs to collect cells from the inside of each participant’s cheeks. The possible father’s sample for DDC prenatal testing is also normally collected by cheek swab.

Anyone providing a cheek-swab sample must refrain from eating, drinking, or smoking for at least one hour before collection. This restriction also applies to breastfed and formula-fed infants. Please schedule infant feeding accordingly.

If a participant eats, drinks, smokes, or is fed during the one-hour period, notify Paramex. The collection may need to be delayed to protect sample quality and avoid recollection.

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6. Limit Appointment Attendance

Only the individuals being tested and the parent or legal guardian of a minor participant should attend the appointment. A non-tested infant may accompany a parent when other arrangements are unavailable.

Additional relatives, friends, or observers will not be permitted in the collection room. Because our waiting room is often occupied by other clients, visitors should remain at home or wait outside the office or in their vehicle.

A few important corrections from the original:

• Alliance requires government-issued photo ID for adult legal-test participants; minors instead require a guardian’s authorization.

• Bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant history should not be limited to “recent.”

• DDC instructs all cheek-swab participants—including nursing infants—not to eat, drink, or smoke for one hour. Therefore, the statement allowing baby food or formula immediately before collection should be removed.

• A blood transfusion ordinarily matters most for blood-based testing, but it should still be disclosed for laboratory review.