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Biometric screenings

What is a biometric screening?

A biometric screening is a clinical set of laboratory tests and measurements that are completed to give individuals a clear picture of their overall health. Biometric screenings can help identify individuals with health risks before they become high-cost claimants, giving those individuals an opportunity for health improvement.

Why are biometric health screenings important?

While biometric screenings are not a replacement for routine examinations with a primary care provider, they are a convenient way for individuals to keep an eye on their health risks.

In fact, individuals who participate in biometric screenings year-over-year see improvement in important health metrics like cholesterol and glucose. According to our database, over 37 percent of participants at risk for metabolic syndrome in 2018 based on failing 3 of 5 clinical factors, were no longer at risk in 2019.

More information on biometric screenings from Quest:

Employers play a large role in healthcare, offering health insurance to most full-time American workers. To help improve employee health and reduce healthcare spending, employers should use comprehensive population health solutions that focus on early identification through biometric screenings. By identifying risk factors for chronic conditions, like heart disease or chronic kidney disease early on, organizations can help individuals get the right care at the right time.

Our comprehensive population health solutions help reduce healthcare spending and improve the health of employees by starting with identification as the first step to population health management. Identifying health risks through biometric tests (as part of on-site wellness screening events or through remote screening options) ultimately helps employees understand their current health status and get the care they need.

Additionally, at the end of every Quest Diagnostics screening program, employers are provided with population-level aggregate reporting. This report provides insights about your employee population that can help guide planning for benefits and well-being initiatives.

Employers can choose different testing panels and biometric measurements for biometric screening programs. In general, biometric screenings include a blood test for lipid and glucose measures (like total cholesterol and glucose), but can also include more advanced clinical measures. Biometric measurements refer to height, weight, calculated Body Mass Index, blood pressure, and/or waist/hip circumference.

Quest Diagnostics offers a wide array of health screening options, including tests that help identify chronic disease risk like Hemoglobin A1c, eGFR, creatinine, high-sensitivity CRP, and more.

Biometric screenings take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The screening will include either a venipuncture or fingerstick blood draw, as well as the measurement of biometric values. What is involved in a biometric screening is also impacted by the screening modality.

Participants who complete an on-site screening at a work site or other location will need to check in prior to the blood draw (venipuncture or fingerstick). The blood draw and biometric measurements will be taken by a trained, on-site provider.

Participants who complete a screening at a Quest Patient Service Center (PSC) will have a venipuncture blood draw. Biometric measurements will be taken by a trained Quest Diagnostics staff member.

Participants who complete self-collections for screenings will complete a self-administered fingerstick and self-report biometric measurements.

Whether or not employees need to fast (not eat or drink anything except water for 9-12 hours prior to the screening) is dependent on the screening panel offered by the employer. Before all biometric screenings, individuals should:

  • Drink plenty of water
  • Take all medications as prescribed by their physician
  • Wear comfortable clothing where the veins in the arm can be easily accessed for venipuncture blood draws
  • Refrain from applying lotion to hands prior to fingerstick blood draws

Individuals who attend on-site fingerstick screening events will receive their biometric results at the event, as well as online on the Quest Diagnostics participant site within 3-5 days. Individuals who attend an on-site venipuncture screening event or complete a screening at a PSC receive results online within 1-3 days and receive a results report in the mail within 10-14 days. All information obtained from biometric screenings is Protected Health Information (PHI) and is secured in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Quest Diagnostics also offers a variety of personalized reporting options to help employers promote other relevant well-being programs to individuals based on their screening results.

At Quest Diagnostics, we complete over 3.5 million biometric screenings every year, through on-site biometric health screenings, Physician Results Forms for screening with a primary care physician, as well as self-collection options which can include advanced testing.

Most importantly, we offer the collection option that most cannot match, our nationwide network of 2,250 Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Centers.

All screening participants can schedule biometric screening appointments for on-site events and at PSCs online on the Quest participant site or by calling the Quest Diagnostics Service Center.

We're here to help

Contact us for more information about biometric screening programs or how Quest can help you tailor benefits offerings to fit the needs of your employee populations.

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