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What a lipid panel covers
What a cholesterol and triglyceride blood test measures, fasting logistics, and how to compare cash offers. No prices.
Cash prices, where a sheet row exists, are on a separate page: Lipid panel cash price page.
What it measures
A lipid panel, also called a cholesterol test or lipid profile, is a blood test that measures the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood. MedlinePlus lists the components as LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.
A triglycerides test can also be ordered on its own. An offer that lists only triglycerides is not the same product as a four-line lipid panel. Read the lines on the offer.
Reference ranges vary by lab. This page does not interpret a result, and it does not say what a high or low number means. Ask your clinician.
- Total cholesterol
- HDL cholesterol
- LDL cholesterol
- Triglycerides
How the sample is collected
Collection is a blood sample. A needle enters a vein, and the sample goes into the tube the order names. The visit is at a patient service center or another collection site the seller names. The cited pages do not give one visit length for every lab, so this page does not state one.
Prep and fasting
Prep, including whether to fast, is set by the order and by the seller. This page does not state prep steps. A cash price page states prep only as the seller states it, with the date it was checked.
How long results usually take
The cited pages do not publish one result-release time that every lab uses. When you compare cash offers, use the window that offer states, and the date this site last checked that offer.
How to compare cash prices
Line up the same test name, the component list on the offer, the date the price was checked, any draw fee the offer states, and any physician-order fee the offer states. A missing fee stays missing. This page does not list amounts. See how to compare lab test prices.