I’ve been ordering my own blood work for over 25 years. But then, i follow the skim, scam and fraud of health care very closely.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/14/nx-s1-5780066/oura-function-wearables-blood-testing-bloodwork
intercst
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The woman in that article never had her bloodwork done? That seems impossible.
As I read the article, it seems her blood work was performed.
Are you saying that it’s “impossible”, that this encounter was her first time getting blood work done?
Lot’s of people only see a doctor as a last resort because of the financial peril that comes with any contact with the health care system..
I wouldn’t have visited the ER last October after my wheelchair mishap if I hadn’t already maxed-out my out-of-pocket cost for the year. The medicare reimbursement for an x-ray and 16 stitches on my elbow for a superficial “skin tear” was over $15,000.
intercst
Lana McDonald, a 34-year-old teacher from Massachusetts, got an Oura Ring two years ago to track her sleep. When she got an email from Oura selling a set of blood tests for $99, she was intrigued. Her primary care physician had never ordered blood testing before.
She has a PCP. She is in her 30s. I’d call that malpractice to never have ordered blood work. She is a teacher. She almost definitely has reasonably good insurance, and she has a doctor. Something is wrong with this story. But I keep saying that is typical of NPR. It is more reporting of conflicting information with no verification.
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It dosen’t say how long she’s had this PCP. Maybe this is her first visit?
The Obamacare preventive care guidelines don’t include any routine annual blood tests. If she hadn’t made a complaint of some symptom requiring a blood test to investigate, there would be no reason for her doctor to be ordering tests.
I’ve been getting annual physical exams since about age 35. They used to include a few blood tests like a CBC w/Differential, a Complete Metabolic Profile and a routine urinalysis. But over time they decided that doing those tests on a healthy population wasn’t finding enough health problems to be cost effective.
intercst
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Best explanation. So, in fact, “her PCP” might very well not have been …hers, that is. Hence the long wait for an appointment. Typical these days for a “new patient visit”. I’m sure an interested reader could do the AI overview and get a breakdown of how many folk in their 30s …with or without insurance (this woman eas a teacher…balance of probabilities suggest with) don’t give regular physicals a moments thought unless they have underlying conditions with symptoms that’ve alerted them to a need. I’ll hazard a guess at not that many. Same with dental health.
In my 30s, my regular visits to my PCP were prompted by the fact that I was taking an oral contraceptive. I can’t swear that, without this prompting, I would have been so diligent in attendance. I also cannot recall any blood test results. I suspect any hint of high cholesterol would’ve been dismissed as inconsequential given my excellent lifestyle choices…as it was up until I was almost 70 and did my diy doctoring and requested a few extra tests (Apo-b, LPa and fasting insulin).
Might well be the same for this woman when she eventually gets her appointment and if she’s in the same sort of physical shape I was /still am…unless her physician is as up to date on the need for addressing dyslipidemias at an early stage as readers on this board are. Past tense thinking is alive and well.
Well, given that the end results of progressive ASCVD (heart disease) is still the #1 killer, and given that these end results build progressively over decades for most folk, it’s fair to say that a good many of the US population …even at that time…were actually not healthy.
Likewise T2D…and periodontal disease.
Like you, I have been ordering my own blood work for over 20 years.
Even if you have Medicare and your doctor orders the blood work, beware! Medicare won’t cover blood tests unless they are directly required for a specific health condition. My doctor ordered a series of blood tests which I got at the Olympic Medical Center lab. I was shocked when OMP made me sign a form agreeing to pay out of pocket for the ones that weren’t covered by Medicare (some were).
Now I simply order from https://www.healthlabs.com/ and go to the affiliated LabCorp lab. It’s a lot cheaper. I get a full Wellness Panel every year for $100. It would cost a fortune to get these a la carte from a standard blood lab. I also add a separate test from time to time, such as Lp(a), CRP, Vitamin D or Vitamin B-12, all of which are not routine but have significant health impacts.
Wendy
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How do you figure this is her first visit?
Well, the reason why I suggested that she might well not be a patient of record with the person she has to wait 2 months to see, is that for someone of the age and occupation she is, and likely to have an employer provided health plan, the new patient visit that establishes a “patient of record” comes with pretty much a set “menu”. Might vary slightly practice to practice but not to that extent.
Most likely explanation is that the account…either from the perspective of the potential patient herself or the article’s author…is that the account isn’t an accurate depiction of the full story. Too light on pertinent facts and detail to know for sure.
NPR runs this way with the facts a lot.
@Goofyhoofy …it’d be useful if you could indicate who this snippy comment is aimed at
It is aimed at me for criticizing NPR.
He is very assertive. But he is wrong as usual. NPR admits sparingly to using unverified sources, especially when it matters to use verified sources.
Doctors do not see 35-year patients, teachers with insurance in the job for a few years, without bloodwork. But NPR will go with wild claims.
If it were Fox News, he’d be all on board with what I am saying. He wants to believe in NPR.
The NYT was the first of these debates with Goof. I said on FB the NYTs puts up trashy articles. They do. It is all Wire Cutters articles on things like sex toys. At least at that time on FB.
There is no debating the US news agencies and the BBC could do a lot better than trying to sell the public only what some people want to hear.
The discussion of a woman with good insurance because of her job seeing a PCP has never had bloodwork as I said is either false or malpractice. This is too routine to be malpractice.
The Hartford Courant our local paper used to bust into doctor’s and other professional’s office at a whiff of anything resembling malpractice. Often destroying careers when the professional was not guilty.
This is a basic Google Search on whether bloodwork in a five year period would be done on a 27 year old going forward.
AI Overview
For a healthy, average-risk adult seeing a primary care provider (PCP) annually from ages 27 to 31, routine bloodwork is typically drawn at the first visit (age 27) to establish a baseline, and then usually every 3 to 5 years, rather than at every single annual visit
Middle Park Health
Middle Park Health
+1
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However, many PCPs may order a “preventive” or “wellness” panel during yearly checkups to track trends, even if not strictly required by guidelines
West Tennessee Healthcare
West Tennessee Healthcare
+2
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Typical Bloodwork Schedule (Ages 27–31)
Age 27 (Initial Visit): Often includes a baseline Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) (kidney/liver function), Complete Blood Count (CBC) (anemia/infection), and a Lipid Panel (cholesterol)
Endeavor Health
Endeavor Health
+1
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Ages 28–30 (Subsequent Visits): If results are normal and you are healthy, blood tests might be skipped or limited to specific areas of concern
BluePoint Medical Group
BluePoint Medical Group
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Age 31 (Or roughly every 3-5 years): A repeat comprehensive screening (lipid panel, fasting glucose) is typically recommended to monitor for changes
Middle Park Health
Middle Park Health
.
Factors Affecting Frequency
While the above is standard for a healthy 20-something, your provider may order bloodwork every year if:
Family History: You have a history of high cholesterol, diabetes, or heart disease
St. Hope Healthcare
St. Hope Healthcare
.
Lifestyle/Risk Factors: You are a smoker, have a high BMI, or have high blood pressure
St. Hope Healthcare
St. Hope Healthcare
+1
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Symptoms: You report fatigue, unexplained weight loss, or other concerning symptoms
St. Hope Healthcare
St. Hope Healthcare
.
Medication: You are taking medications requiring monitoring
St. Hope Healthcare
St. Hope Healthcare
.
If you are generally healthy, the annual physical serves more for checking blood pressure and weight, while blood tests are conducted periodically
Yes they do. I just pulled up my labs on MyCharts. I’ve gone years between blood tests. I don’t think I had a routine check-up until I was in my 40s.
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Why was that?
Yes if you are not going to a doctor routinely, then routine medicine does not happen.
From the article
Lana McDonald, a 34-year-old teacher from Massachusetts, got an Oura Ring two years ago to track her sleep. When she got an email from Oura selling a set of blood tests for $99, she was intrigued. Her primary care physician had never ordered blood testing before.
So she has a PCP. Either this is misleading for some reason such as she just got the job and the PCP, or the doctor is a quack, or Lana McDonald was not clear on the topic. But it is malpractice to have routine physicals without the first one including bloodwork, and at the very least periodic bloodwork. NPR is playing fast and loose with the facts.
Bottomline PCPs want routine bloodwork. For someone young going into routine care in the first year it is done. Then probably periodically.
Never ordering bloodwork could constitute medical malpractice if it violates the accepted standard of care, leading to failure to diagnose a condition, injury, or harm
The Cochran Firm
The Cochran Firm
+1
. While routine tests are not always mandatory, missing key diagnostic tests for high-risk patients (like screenings for high cholesterol or diabetes) can be negligent
Bounds Law Group
Bounds Law Group
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Key Aspects of Potential Malpractice:
Breach of Standard of Care: A doctor must provide care that a competent peer would in a similar situation
The Cochran Firm
The Cochran Firm
. Failing to test for symptoms that a reasonable professional would investigate is a breach
The Cochran Firm
The Cochran Firm
.
Cause of Harm: Malpractice requires that the failure to order bloodwork caused measurable harm, such as a delayed diagnosis of a serious condition
Cogan & Power, P.C.
Cogan & Power, P.C.
+1
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Context Matters: A PCP may not be negligent if they, for example, reviewed a specialist’s recent, comprehensive blood tests, making further testing redundant. Conversely, neglecting to order tests when symptoms of infection or disease are present is a high risk for malpractice
Bounds Law Group
Bounds Law Group
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It is important to note that while annual “check-up” bloodwork is standard for many, some medical views argue that routine tests for asymptomatic patients are not always required
Op-Med
Op-Med
+1
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I’m healthy. I had no reason to go to the doctor except for asthma and you don’t need bloodwork to treat that.
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That’s fair enough.
So you never had a GP or PCP take blood? No baseline? Because the teacher had a PCP. A baseline in your 20s is routine. You might not have looked or made much of the results, but if bloodwork was taken that is why I am questioning NPR.
“MyCharts. I’ve gone years between blood tests.”
What about your very first visit at a new office?
For sure, I can see why, with past tense thinking, some providers might well still skip this important step…perceiving a “good” set of blood values as a guarantee of rude good health. However, in this day and age, it’d be unlikely if anyone would be very convincing if they wanted to claim that they had never had bloodwork done as a patient of record. Far too many hungry malpractice lawyers around to allow any experienced PCP to forget this step.
P.S…you know better than to allow this to happen now, right?
“McDonald turned to Google to figure out what to make of them…”
Didn’t read the whole article, got to this point and stopped.
One of the first lessons taught/learned on ward rotations, don’t order a test unless you know what to do with the answer. Sure it’s great to order your own stuff, but 99.99% of the general public is going to be trusting Google to figure it out. And to quote Abe Lincoln, don’t trust everything you read on the internet.
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