The "Must Do" of Annual Blood Work 

Sun Health & Dental’s Health Screening Lab Panel

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Laboratory services are an integral tool used by every primary care physician and specialist to assess and diagnose health issues. Without laboratory testing, most conditions would go undetected and untreated. Sun Health & Dental has created a Health Screening lab panel that members can perform annually to establish a baseline of their currency health condition. 

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Analysis includes:

• CBC (Complete Blood Count)
• CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel)
• Lipid Profile
• TSH
• Urinalysis

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Other laboratory services includes:

• DNA - Cancer Screening
• DNA - Pharmacogenomics PGx
• Substance Abuse Lab Screenings

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Without Sun Health & Dental, a basic lab panel would cost more than $400.00. With over 1,000 lab tests, nearly all of our lab tests are priced under $20.00. A basic lab panel only costs members $12.50 plus a $10.00 extraction fee. Many of our physician providers use contracted laboratory services at  their offices. If this is the case, the sample will be collected at your providers  office and the lab will handle the rest. If your physician does not use one of  our contracted lab providers, you can call our office and we will schedule  an appointment at the closest draw station for the lab. 

To schedule an appointment please call our customer service team at (888) 577-8670, or log into your account online at sunhealthdental.com and request an appointment through our member portal. Our customer service team can help you locate the closest provider and schedule your appointment. Most Sun Health & Dental appointments are scheduled within 24 hours from time of request.

Health Screen Lab Panel Explained

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Here is a breakdown of the tests included in our basic lab panel:

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CMP, or comprehensive metabolic panel, evaluates kidney and liver function, electrolytes, and glucose:

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• Glucose - energy source for the body; a steady supply must be available for use, and a relatively constant level of glucose must be maintained in the blood.
• Calcium - one of the most important minerals in the body; it is essential for the proper functioning of muscles, nerves, and the heart and is required in blood clotting and in the formation of bones.

Proteins

• Albumin - a small protein produced in the liver; the major protein in serum
• Total Protein - measures albumin as well as all other proteins in serum

Electrolytes

• Sodium - vital to normal body processes, including nerve and muscle function
• Potassium - vital to cell metabolism and muscle function
• CO2 (carbon dioxide, bicarbonate) - helps to maintain the body's acid-base balance (pH)
• Chloride - helps to regulate the amount of fluid in the body and maintain the acid-base balance

Kidney Tests

• BUN (blood urea nitrogen) - waste product filtered out of the blood by the kidneys; conditions that affect the kidney have the potential to affect the amount of urea in the blood.
• Creatinine - waste product produced in the muscles; it is filtered out of the blood by the kidneys so blood levels are a good indication of how well the kidneys are working.

Liver Tests

• ALP (alkaline phosphatase) - enzyme found in the liver and other tissues, bone; elevated levels of ALP in the blood are most commonly caused by liver disease or bone disorders.
• ALT (alanine aminotransferase, also called SGPT) - enzyme found mostly in the cells of the liver and kidney; a useful test for detecting liver damage
• AST (aspartate aminotransferase, also called SGOT) - enzyme found especially in cells in the heart and liver; also a useful test for detecting liver damage
• Bilirubin - waste product produced by the liver as it breaks down and recycles aged red blood cells

Lipid panel, measures the amount of certain fat molecules called lipids in your blood, this test includes:

• Total cholesterol — Overall cholesterol level. 
• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) — is often called "good cholesterol" because it removes excess cholesterol and carries it to the liver for removal.
• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) — is often called "bad cholesterol" because it deposits excess cholesterol in the walls of blood vessels, which can contribute to atherosclerosis.
• Triglycerides —Triglycerides are a type of fat. They are the most common type of fat in your body. They come from foods, especially butter, oils, and other fats you eat. Triglycerides also come from extra calories. These are the calories that you eat, but your body does not need them right away. Your body changes these extra calories into triglycerides and stores them in fat cells. When your body needs energy, it releases the triglycerides

CBC, or complete blood count, measures different parts of the blood:

• WBC count, evaluation of white blood cells:  may or may not include a WBC differential.
• RBC count, evaluation of red blood cells.
• Hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct) and RBC indices, which includes mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and red cell distribution width (RDW). The RBC evaluation may or may not include reticulocyte count.
• Platelet Count, evaluation of platelets, may or may not include mean platelet volume (MPV) and/or platelet distribution width (PDW)

Thyroid Panel, used to evaluate thyroid function.

TSH, or thyroid-stimulating hormone, is produced by the pituitary gland, a tiny organ located below the brain and behind the sinus cavities. TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to release the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) into the blood. These thyroid hormones help control the rate at which the body uses energy. This test measures the amount of TSH in the blood, along with its regulatory hormone thyrotropin.

Urinalysis, a test of the urine, consists of three distinct testing phases:

• Visual examination, which evaluates the urine's color and clarity.
• Chemical examination, which tests chemically for about 9 substances that provide valuable information about health and disease and determines the concentration of the urine.
• Microscopic examination, which identifies and counts the type of cells, casts, crystals, and other components such as bacteria and mucus that can be present in urine.

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With this basic lab panel, you can start your new year off on the right foot, with a clear picture of your health, from the ground up. 

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And don’t forget! When necessary, our labs also offer a wide array of specialized blood work as well, all at the lowest cost. 

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