• Find your HR website
    • Australia
    • Germany
    • Hong Kong
    • Singapore
    • Thailand
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
Alight Get Started
Alight
  • Solutions

    What’s new Health Administration Solutions Wealth Administration Solutions Payroll Administration Engagement and Communications HCM and Financial Management
     

    What’s new

    Alight Total Health Alight AMS as a Service

    To unlock and create growth

    Integrated solutions designed for enterprise-wide results. These offerings make the most of your investments in both technology and people.

    Health Administration |
    Employer Solutions

    Health Benefits Administration Healthcare Navigation Reimbursement Solutions Dependent Verification Services Compliance

    To better wellbeing

    Solutions to help employees and employers choose, use and manage their health benefits.

    Wealth Administration |
    Employer Solutions

    Defined Benefit Administration Defined Contribution Administration WealthSpark™ Managed Accounts & Advisory Self Directed Brokerage Pension De-risking

    To build a future

    Solutions to help employees and employers choose, use and manage their wealth benefits.

    Payroll Administration |
    Employer Solutions

    Cloud HCM and Payroll Administration Global Payroll

    To keep spend in shape

    Solutions to administer, optimize and scale your payroll.

    Engagement and Communications |
    Employer Solutions

    Benefits Guidance Hyper-personalization Communications Consulting UPoint® and Digital Innovation Research

    To spark interest

    Solutions to create a more memorable employee experience.

    HCM and Financial Management |
    Professional Services

    HCM Cloud Advisory HCM Cloud Deployment HCM Application Management Services (AMS) Financial Cloud Advisory Financial Cloud Deployment Financial Application Management Services (AMS) Workday Adaptive Planning Implementation

    To keep things running smoothly

    Solutions to better manage your workforce from the cloud.

  • INSIGHTS

    Explore Insights Latest Insights
     
    Categories Topics Function

    CATEGORIES

    Health Wealth HR Financial Management HCM SEE ALL

    FEATURED INSIGHTS

    Finance is moving to the Cloud ...are you ready?

    Read More

    The Advantages for Health Saving Accounts (HSAs): Employees find balance between health and wealth

    Read More

    TOPICS

    Alight Research Benefits Administration Compliance, Legislation & Regulation Consumer Healthcare Education Customer Success Stories Dependent Verification Health Savings & Reimbursement Accounts Open Enrollment Payroll & Compensation Savings & Retirement Planning Workday
    SEE ALL

    FEATURED INSIGHTS

    Finance is moving to the Cloud ...are you ready?

    Read More

    The Advantages fo Health Saving Accounts (HSAs): Employees find balance between health and wealth

    Read More

    FUNCTION

    Human Resources Finance Information Technology SEE ALL

    FEATURED INSIGHTS

    Finance is moving to the Cloud ...are you ready?

    Read More

    The Advantages fo Health Saving Accounts (HSAs): Employees find balance between health and wealth

    Read More
  • EVENTS

    Explore Events

    FEATURED EVENTS

    Webinar
    Cloud transformation during disruption and change
    ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
    WATCH NOW
    Webinar
    Rethinking and activating your 2021 enrollment plan
    ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
    WATCH NOW
    Webinar
    Global payroll—now and up next
    ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
    WATCH NOW
  • WORK WITH US

     
    Our Markets Our Partnerships

    OUR MARKETS

    5K Employees Public Sector 5K - 10K Employees Brokers 10K+ Employees Europe APAC

    FEATURED CASE STUDIES

    Curtiss-Wright: Increasing utilization and satisfaction with an integrated benefits platform

    View Case Study

    Pathway Vet Alliance: Thriving in the cloud with Alight and Workday

    View Case Study

    OUR PARTNERSHIPS

    Workday SAP SuccessFactors Cornerstone OnDemand Oracle Alight Partner Network

    FEATURED CASE STUDIES

    Curtiss-Wright: Increasing utilization and satisfaction with an integrated benefits platform

    View Case Study

    Pathway Vet Alliance: Thriving in the cloud with Alight and Workday

    View Case Study
  • ABOUT US

    Our Story Leadership Team Newsroom Awards Careers

    FEATURED NEWS

    Crain’s Chicago names Alight’s Duke Alden to list of Notable LGBTQ Executives
    Read More
    Alight’s new suite of solutions helps turn business disruptions into drivers for enterprise growth
    Read More
    Alight Solutions to lead nationwide launch of the Retirement Clearinghouse Auto Portability program
    Read More
Find your HR website
Get started
  • Australia
  • Germany
  • Hong Kong
  • Singapore
  • Thailand
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Home
Research & Insights
Top 4 blood tests ordered by doctors – what you need to know as a consumer

Top 4 blood tests ordered by doctors – what you need to know as a consumer

Here’s a quick overview of the top blood tests your doctor might order on your next office visit. We’ve also included information that could help you save money on blood tests, just remember to ask your doctor for details. Alight’s healthcare navigation services are also a useful way to have your questions answered about your healthcare costs. 

1. Lipid Panel – test for cholesterol. This screening involves several components:

  • Total cholesterol
  • HDL-high density lipoprotein-the ‘good’ cholesterol
  • LDL-low density lipoprotein-the ‘bad’ cholesterol
  • Triglycerides-essentially fat globules in the blood

Of note, the HDL + the LDL does not = Total Cholesterol. There is another type of cholesterol as well called VLDL that is part of the equation, but that is beyond the scope of this post. 

This blood test must be taken while fasting in order to be accurate. A good time to have your blood drawn is in the morning and don’t eat or drink anything except water after midnight from the night before.  This includes creamer in coffee. Creamer in coffee will completely throw off these numbers.  Cost of the test—about $200.

2. BMP (also called a Chem 7) – test for:

  • Electrolyte level (Sodium, Potassium, others)
  • Kidney function (Creatinine and BUN)
  • Blood glucose (sugar, it is often elevated in uncontrolled or undiagnosed Diabetes).

Of note, if the kidney function numbers are abnormal, they should be compared to other kidney function numbers taken at a different time—i.e., you will need your current results compared to prior results, or you will need to have your blood drawn again for comparison purposes.

Like the Lipid Panel above, often this blood test is done while fasting—but it does not have to be. The results have to be interpreted a little differently depending on whether the person has eaten or not. Cost of the test—about $100.

3. CMP (also called a Chem 12) - this test is a more extensive version of a BMP and includes the same parts—plus liver function tests.  Often CMPs are not necessary, so it is usually more cost effective to do a BMP. Ask your doctor about your options.  Cost of the test—about $250. 

4. CBC (Complete Blood Count) - this is a test of:

  • Red blood cells (carry oxygen)
  • White blood cells (fight infection)
  • Platelets (help form clots to stop bleeding).

Anemia (low red blood cell count) is most often measured by this test. The most common cause of anemia is low iron level from slow blood loss. The most common causes of slow blood loss are menstruation and slow bleeding from the stomach/intestines/rectum. Either could be from very mild and benign underlying conditions or more serious causes, so be sure and consult your doctor with any questions. This test does not require the person to be fasting. Cost of the test—about $150.

It is very common for a primary care physician to order tests 1 + either 2 or 3 + 4 altogether. So if the doctor says, ‘I’m going to order some blood work for you,’ know that it could cost upwards of $600. It is also important to note that if you are on a PPO insurance plan and have an office visit copay (say for $25), the blood tests are not necessarily included as part of the copay. In other words, the visit may cost you the $25 copay + $600 for lab work.  If you are on an HSA plan or another type of consumer-directed health plan, then the blood work will cost you in addition to the office visit. For example, the office visit may cost $80 + $600 for lab work.

Some important takeaways are:
  1. Is the blood test really necessary? (often times it is not, ask your doctor).

  2. Can the blood test be ordered in a more cost-effective way? (if you just order the individual parts of the above tests, it is less expensive. e.g., Just ordering total cholesterol, just ordering blood glucose).

  3. Is the blood test going to be run in the office and included as part of your office visit copay or is it going to be sent to an outside lab? (In which case it probably not be included in your office visit copay).

  4. What lab is it going to be sent to and how much will that lab cost? (It might even be out of network).

If you pay attention to your blood work, you can receive the high-quality care you need and do so in a way that won’t break your budget.
​

Related Tags
Health Human Resources Healthcare Navigation Consumer Healthcare Education
Transform the employee healthcare experience and guarantee healthcare cost savings.
Mother and child speaking with a doctor
Learn more
Related Content
White Paper
White paper: The impact of COVID-19 on HSAs and FSAs →
In this report, we’ll explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HSAs and FSAs, with actions employers can take to help employees make use of these benefits.
Health
US COVID-19
COVID-19
Customer Success Story
Customer Success Story: Curtiss-Wright →
How a single, integrated benefits platform increased benefits utilization and employee satisfaction
Health
Healthcare Navigation
Customer Success Stories
What U.S. employers can expect during a Biden presidency →
Our experts share insights into the key issues that could impact employers during the Biden presidency
Health
Wealth
Employee benefits checklist 2021 →
Use this checklist to assess how you can quickly adjust your organization’s benefits strategy to address the unique challenges employees are facing now and in the near future.
Health
Wealth
Benefits Administration

Resources

  • Talk to sales
  • Find your HR website
  • Careers
  • Legacy Resources

Connect with Us

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

  • Office Directory
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
Alight

© 2020 Alight®. All rights reserved.