Blood tests are a vital part of a diagnostic process and play a significant role in chalking out apt treatment plans. Laboratory examination of a blood sample can detect a variety of ailments, including the functioning of certain organs, certain genetic disorders, infections, and an individual's general health.
This article aims at delving into the full panel, complete blood count (CBC), and complete metabolic panel (CMP) blood tests. It also looks into how much blood work is without insurance, CBC test price, and CMP blood test cost. Let's get right into it!
A full panel blood test includes several blood tests that can identify potential medical complications in their early stages to administer prompt treatment. It is typical for doctors to compare the information gathered from a full panel blood test each year with previous testing rounds to understand an individual's general health changes better.
Although the number of tests may slightly differ, it is typical for a full panel blood test to include the following evaluations:
A complete blood count test measures the range of a person's red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets.
A complete metabolic panel test measures an individual's liver functioning.
Lipid panel testing measures LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol) levels.
A basic metabolic panel test monitors the calcium, glucose, potassium, sodium, chloride, creatinine, carbon dioxide, electrolytes, and blood urea nitrogen concentrations in an individual's blood.
A comprehensive urinalysis exam measures the concentration and content of urine to detect diseases or infections.
Thyroid panel testing monitors the function of an individual's thyroid, which is a gland that regulates body temperature, heart rate, growth hormones, metabolism, and other hormones.
Prothrombin time testing measures the time it takes for a blood sample to clot.
A full panel blood test plays a vital role in uncovering several health issues such as:
Infection or inflammation
Cardiovascular complications
Depending upon the composition of a full panel blood test, a testing laboratory may provide test results within 24-72 hours. It is important to consult a medical health professional before getting tested, as some procedures require fasting for at least eight hours before the test to ensure accurate results.
Blood tests without insurance naturally cost more than other kinds of tests and range anywhere between $108- and $1,139. If a patient requires multiple tests, the cost may build up to thousands of dollars.
CBC and CMP are two vital tests carried out in almost all full blood panel cost – let's look more into them and their pricing.
A complete blood count test concentrates on the three types of blood cells (White Blood Cells, Red Blood Cells, and Platelets) and allows a medical health professional to check for underlying conditions such as anemia and leukemia. CBC includes the following subtests:
White blood cell (WBC) count
Differential white blood cell count
Red blood cell (RBC) count
Hematocrit (Hct) test
Hemoglobin (Hgb) test
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) test
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) test
Red cell distribution width (RDW or RCDW) test
Platelet count
Mean platelet volume (MPV)
Without insurance, the out-of-pocket price range of a CBC test is between $140 - $622. It typically depends upon a patient's health plan, location in the United States, and the testing facility.
A comprehensive metabolic panel test is also known as a chemistry panel and measures an individual's fluid and electrolyte balance, glucose levels, kidney function, liver function, etc. Several subtests are included in CMP and include the following:
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test
Albumin test
Total protein test
Alkaline phosphatase test
Aspartate aminotransferase test
Bilirubin test
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test
Calcium test
Chloride test
Creatinine test
Fasting blood sugar test
Phosphorus test
Potassium test
Sodium test
The cost of a basic metabolic panel test without insurance is higher than a comprehensive metabolic test and ranges between $330 - and $1309. A CMP blood test, in contrast, can cost anywhere between $26.00 and $134.00 without insurance. The estimated national average for this test is $48.
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Our clinical experts continually monitor the health and medical content posted on CURA4U, and we update our blogs and articles when new information becomes available. Last reviewed by Dr.Saad Zia on Nov 08th, 2023.
References:
Kidney infection or disease - https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kidney-infection-pyelonephritis
Cancer - https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/screening/screening-tests
Diabetes - https://diabetes.org/diabetes/a1c/diagnosis
Clinical Practice Guidelines | Endocrine Society- https://www.endocrine.org/clinical-practice-guidelines
Liver diseases or infections - https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease
Ann-Marie Busick DO
Sirpa Talvikki Autio MD
