Current promotion
Annual Physical Blood Work: Order Lab Tests Before Your Visit
Walk into your annual physical with results in hand instead of walking out with a lab slip.
Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission when you purchase lab tests through links on this site, at no extra cost to you. Learn more
Panels from $94.48 with the 50% promotion (Basic Plus, regularly $188.95); Advanced $139.98 and Advanced Plus $508.98 at time of writing.
At a glance
Annual physical blood work covers the core labs most doctors want to see at a yearly exam: a complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, thyroid markers, glucose and hemoglobin A1c, iron and ferritin, and vitamin D. Ordering these tests online before your appointment means your visit can be spent discussing results rather than waiting on a lab slip. A doctor's order is included with the purchase, and results are typically ready within 24 to 48 hours.
Best suited for
- Anyone with an annual physical coming up who wants results ready to discuss at the visit
- Patients whose insurance-covered labs skip markers like vitamin D, ferritin, A1c, or Free T3/Free T4
- People who switched doctors or insurers and want a portable year-over-year lab record
- Telehealth users who need recent blood work before a virtual consult
- Those who prefer to preview their own results before deciding what to raise with their doctor
What's included
General Health - Basic Plus Lab Panel
8 tests, 66 biomarkers, core pre-visit baseline
General Health - Advanced Lab Panel
13 tests, 86 biomarkers, broader pre-visit workup
General Health - Advanced Plus Lab Panel
23 tests, 113 biomarkers, most comprehensive option
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
A standard component of yearly exam labs
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
Liver, kidney, and electrolyte markers
Lipid Panel
Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides
Thyroid Markers (TSH, with Free T3/Free T4 on select panels)
Often omitted from basic physicals unless requested
Glucose & Hemoglobin A1c
Current blood sugar plus the three-month trend
Iron & Ferritin
Iron stores and oxygen transport
Vitamin D
Frequently excluded from insurance-covered lab orders
Deep-dive the key markers: Fasting Glucose, HbA1c, LDL-C, HDL-C, Triglycerides, TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Vitamin D, Ferritin, eGFR, ALT
Key biomarker ranges
Commonly used adult reference ranges for markers this panel measures, labs vary, so always interpret results against your lab's stated ranges and with your doctor.
Commonly used reference ranges place fasting glucose at 70–99 mg/dL; results vary with sleep, stress, and recent illness, and labs differ slightly.
| Zone | Range |
|---|---|
| Low | 50–70 mg/dL |
| Optimal | 70–100 mg/dL |
| Prediabetic range | 100–126 mg/dL |
| Diabetic range | 126–160 mg/dL |
Commonly used reference ranges place HbA1c below 5.7%; conditions affecting red blood cells can skew results, so labs and clinicians interpret in context.
| Zone | Range |
|---|---|
| Optimal | 4–5.7 % |
| Prediabetic range | 5.7–6.5 % |
| Diabetic range | 6.5–10 % |
Commonly used reference ranges label LDL-C under 100 mg/dL optimal; ideal targets depend on your overall cardiovascular risk profile.
| Zone | Range |
|---|---|
| Optimal | 0–100 mg/dL |
| Near optimal | 100–130 mg/dL |
| Borderline high | 130–160 mg/dL |
| High | 160–190 mg/dL |
| Very high | 190–220 mg/dL |
The importance of testing
The typical annual physical follows a frustrating sequence: you see your doctor, get sent for labs afterward, and receive results by portal message days later, often with no time booked to discuss them. Flipping the order changes the appointment. When you arrive with recent, physician-reviewed results for your CBC, metabolic panel, lipids, thyroid, A1c, iron, and vitamin D, the visit becomes a working session about what the numbers mean.
These panels also tend to be broader than the minimum labs an insurance-driven physical covers. Vitamin D, ferritin, hemoglobin A1c, and Free T3/Free T4 are frequently left off standard orders unless you ask; the general health panel tiers include them by default on most configurations, giving you and your doctor more to work with.
There is also a continuity benefit. Ordering the same panel before each annual visit builds a year-over-year record under your control, independent of which clinic or insurer you use. Trends across visits, a drifting A1c, rising liver enzymes, falling ferritin, are exactly the kind of pattern worth flagging for your doctor early.
Testing happens at any of roughly 2,100 Quest locations, no insurance is required, and HSA/FSA payment is accepted. Bring the printed or portal report to your appointment and let the conversation start from data.
Promo code
ULTAGHB49Save 50% with code ULTAGHB49, current promotion; confirm final pricing on the partner page.
Ready to get your numbers? Order online, visit a nearby draw site, and receive private results to review with your doctor.
Order NowFrequently asked questions
Can I order my own blood work before an annual physical?
Yes, a doctor's order is included with every purchase, so no separate appointment or referral is needed to order these panels. You order online, test at a Quest location, and bring the physician-reviewed report to your physical.
Which labs should I have done before a yearly exam?
A CBC, comprehensive metabolic panel, and lipid panel form the core that most annual exams review, and these panels add thyroid markers, glucose and A1c, iron and ferritin, and vitamin D. The Advanced tier (13 tests, 86 biomarkers) is a common middle-ground choice for pre-visit blood work.
Will my results be ready in time for my appointment?
Most results arrive within 24 to 48 hours, so testing about a week before your visit usually leaves comfortable margin. A few individual tests can take longer, and all results are physician-reviewed before release.
Will my doctor accept self-ordered lab results?
Results come as physician-reviewed reports from Quest, the same national lab network many clinics already use, and they are designed to be shared with your doctor. Your doctor decides how to use them, some may still order their own confirmatory labs, which is a reasonable topic to raise at the visit.
Can residents of every state order these tests?
No, direct-to-consumer lab testing is restricted or prohibited in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, so residents of those states may be blocked at the partner's checkout. In other states, you can test at any of roughly 2,100 Quest locations, with HSA/FSA accepted and no insurance required.
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