Health Screenings

Having healthy employees who are at work as scheduled and contributing to the organization is of great importance. Human resources are valuable assets and employers strive to provide a work environment and benefit package that attracts and keeps employees happy. It is also necessary to accomplish this in the most economical fashion.

We at Regional Medical Laboratories, Inc. have been offering basic health screening benefits to our staff for over twenty years. We assist area employers in implementing this benefit at their facilities.

Several laboratory tests are available for you and/or your employees to choose from. These screening tests are helpful in determining if an individual might have diabetes, anemia, liver or kidney disease, potential for heart attack or coronary artery disease, prostate cancer and many other important health concerns. When individuals are diagnosed early, the potential for lost work days and increased usage of insurance which increases premium rates are generally reduced.

This benefit provides a win-win situation for the employer and the employee. The employee receives information that may help them avert a very serious health situation by early detection, and they know that their employer is concerned about them and their family. (You can also extend this benefit to all adult family members if you choose.) The employer receives a healthier work force, potential for reduced group health insurance expense and employees who are satisfied by another benefit that the organization is extending to them.

All abnormal results are reviewed by our staff physicians. Participants are personally contacted by our staff physician if any results are extremely abnormal.

The amount of labor that a facility has to put forth to organize the event is very minimal. RML provides all of the necessary material to promote the event. This health screening service is provided to your organization with or without a fee depending upon the service package you elect to offer.

•  Service Package One: No fees to the employer. Your participating employees can come to one of our convenient RML drawing centers during their non-work hours. The employee then pays for the testing services at the time they are drawn, via cash, check or credit card.
• Service Package Two: Small on site service fee. Our highly skilled phlebotomy staff comes directly to your facility and collects the specimens. The employee then pays for the testing services at the time they are drawn, via cash, check or credit card.
• Service Package Three: Your organization pays for all testing fees. Your participating employees can come to one of our RML drawing centers during work hours or during non-work hours. Or, you may choose to have our phlebotomy staff come directly to your facility and collect the specimens.

Our HealthCare Screening packages can include the following tests:

Cholesterol Screening (Lipid Panel)

Cholesterol is a fat-like material in your blood; the body makes its own cholesterol. When you eat foods that are high in fat you can have too much cholesterol in your blood. However, not all cholesterol in the blood is bad.
Cholesterol can build up on the inside of the blood vessels of your heart. If too much builds up, then the blood cannot flow through to your heart. This can cause a heart attack.

There are three kinds of cholesterol (blood lipids) that you should know about:

•       HDL (good cholesterol)
•       LDL (bad cholesterol)
•       Triglycerides

HDL (High Density Lipid) transports cholesterol from the body’s tissues to the liver and other sites, where it may be broken down and excreted by the body.

LDL (Low Density Lipid) transports cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body.

Triglycerides are bound to proteins and form lipoproteins. Elevations of certain lipoproteins may increase the risk of heart disease.
According to National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Guidelines, desirable serum cholesterol levels for otherwise healthy adults are as follows: 

•       Total cholesterol below 200 mg/dl
•       HDL-cholesterol above 60 mg/dl
•       LDL-cholesterol below 100 mg/dl and
        below 70 mg/dl for high-risk patients
•       Triglycerides below 150 mg/dl

To properly evaluate these results, it is recommended that the participant be fasting for 14 hours when the sample is collected. Fasting means it is not acceptable to eat anything during this time. This includes all foods, candy, chewing gum, mints, cough drops, etc. Drinking moderate amounts of water is acceptable. Any other type of drink is unacceptable.

Prostatic Specific Antigen (PSA) is a substance that is produced only by the male prostate gland. Small amounts of this substance may get into the bloodstream and can be measured by the PSA test. Certain abnormal conditions of the prostate, however, may raise the level of PSA in the blood. High levels of PSA do not harm you; they are only important as a signal to your doctor of possible prostate disease. PSA exists in several different forms in the blood. Some forms are bound to proteins, others are unbound (or “free”). Total PSA, as measured by your first PSA test, actually measures all of the PSA in your blood, both the protein-bound form and the free form. 

• A PSA result of 0-4 ng/mL is generally considered normal.
• Many men with a PSA level greater than 4 ng/mL do not have prostate cancer.
• A PSA value under 4 ng/mL does not rule out the possibility of cancer. If the result   of the PSA test is higher than 4 ng/mL, other medical procedures, including additional blood tests, biopsy, or ultrasound, may be required before your doctor can determine whether you have prostate cancer.

Chemistry Health Screening is a general blood chemistry screen. It checks for diabetes, high cholesterol, liver, kidney and heart disease.

PBC (Partial Blood Count) is an evaluation of anemia, leukemia and reaction to inflammation and infections.

TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) stimulates the thyroid gland to synthesize and secrete hormones T-3 and T-4. TSH concentrations are useful in diagnosing thyroid function.

Homocysteine test is an amino acid found in the blood. Studies have shown that homocysteine may be elevated in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. Many of these patients may not have other elevated risk factors such as a high cholesterol level.

Additional testing available as requested.

The RML HealthCare Screening Program tests are performed under the same methodology, quality control and quality assurance protocol as our regular diagnostic testing.

In no way are these screening procedures meant to take the place of regular visits to your physician. In fact, we encourage you to maintain a regular relationship with your physician and recommend that you share these results with your health care provider. If you have specific questions regarding any particular results, please consult your personal physician for appropriate follow-up.

Please contact the Patient & Outreach Services Department at 269-969-6161/800-968-3251, extension 6923 or email Patient & Outreach Services.