Be Crystal Clear When It Comes to Your Policy

Imagine heading to take your semi-yearly cholesterol check and as you go to pay, you are quickly told that your plan only covers a test once every two years. When you are used to your tests being covered twice a year, that’s not a fun situation to be in, which is why it’s so important to make sure you are crystal clear on what the Affordable Care Act covers in your plan when it comes to lab testing.

Preventative Care Services are available at no additional cost to you through the ACA, but some details about that can become a little fuzzy and confusing. Based on your particular insurance policy, some lab testing services may no longer be covered or covered the way they may have been in the past. It’s necessary to double check with your provider so that there aren’t any surprises!

When the time comes and you need a lab test, keep in mind that we are your affordable solution to Take Control of Your Health® and keep your premium costs as low as possible. We WILL help you in the long run when it comes to your health and your wallet.

2 Ways to Keep & Measure Your New Year’s Resolution

It’s fun to make a new year’s resolution as each year rolls around, but how many have you actually stuck to? We know how it is because we’ve been there. Here are a couple suggestions that ANY LAB TEST NOW® can help you with in order to maintain your healthy living related resolutions.

As you’re preparing your resolutions for the new year, keep these two tips in mind:

Establish your baseline with initial testing to help you actually keep track of your results. This can help you provide a comparison to all of the progress you’ve made throughout the year and show you what’s working and what may not be.

After you’ve done that, measure your progress each quarter. That’s only 4 times a year; you can do it! Some people may overlook internal aspects of health, but it’s essential to pay attention to it because what’s happening on the inside is more important than outside.

We suggest taking the Lipid Panel or VAP, Hemoglobin A1c, Basic Check-Up Panel, Liver Function Panel, aka Hepatic Function Panel, Micronutrient Test and Vitamin D Level tests to measure your baseline. It’s up to you to create your goals… It’s up to us to help you effectively and accurately measure your progress!

Comment below or tweet us @ALTNCorp using #ALTNResolutions to let us know what your goals for the new year are!

Get Tested & Spread the Word: World AIDS Month

As December brings the holiday hustle and bustle, all of us at ANY LAB TEST NOW® don’t want you to forget that it’s World AIDS Month.

A shocking number of over 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV. HIV and AIDS are closely related as AIDS is classified as the final stage of HIV.

December is set aside each year to bring awareness to what AIDS can cause and how to prevent it from spreading further. Getting a lab test is the only way to truly know if you or your partner have contracted the disease. It’s important for you to know what’s going on in your body for your sake and for the safety of others around you.

Get yourself familiar at www.aids.gov to learn all you can about AIDS 101, prevention, what to know if you’re recently diagnosed and how to stay healthy once you have been diagnosed. Also, check out these lists of STD and HIV tests that we make available to you!

Be a Quitter

Once you commit, never quit, right? In this case, WRONG!

Join us at ANY LAB TEST NOW® as we celebrate The Great American Smokeout on November 21st to encourage smokers to QUIT! Quit just for the day, or use this day to make a game plan to quit all together.

Did you know that smoking is the number one preventable cause of death? Tobacco use cannot be ignored any longer! Especially now more than ever, because the Affordable Care Act allows insurance companies to charge tobacco users up to 50% more for their monthly premiums. Check out this link to learn more.

This is the perfect time to take a cotinine or nicotine test to give you a chance to look back for several days on tobacco usage. If you’re an employer rewarding tobacco free employees or a parent concerned about your child; this is the test for you! Go to your nearest ANY LAB TEST NOW® to set up your test and get ready for The Great American Smokeout!

Challenge: Create a timeline for your goals, smoking related or not! Use The Great American Smokeout as your start date, and become a healthier you!

Recognizing All Medical Assistants on Their Week

Calling out all medical assistants! October 21 – 25 is Medical Assistant Recognition Week. This year’s theme is “Medical Assistants at the Heart of Health Care.” During this week ANY LAB TEST NOW® would like to give a shout out to all of our amazing medical assistants that offer a helping and caring hand to our customers that Take Control of Their Health every day.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assisting is an allied health profession projected as one of the fastest growing occupations in the country. Medical assistants are multiskilled allied health professionals that provide a unique versatility to those they serve. They perform a variety of administrative and clinical roles with skill, dedication and loyalty. Their particular drive to help those in need makes them vital members of the health care delivery system. Being in this position one has to not only be the healthcare professional, but also be an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on and a caring partner to help point you in the right direction.

An example of how caring and professional our medical assistants are, is the story of one of our customers Danny Holt and our ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s St. George, UT medical assistant Britnee Bennett. According to Danny Holt, he walked into the ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s St. George, UT location because he had experienced a fever and was planning to be tested for a urinary infection. “I was greeted by the smiling face of Medical Assistant Brittnee Bennett,” said Holt. “I asked what the CBC test was and she explained it to me.” Holt initially turned around to leave because of his fear of needles. Fortunately, Brittnee’s exemplary customer service made him turn back around and get the lab test that would ultimately save his life. Listen to Danny’s story.

An additional shout out goes to ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s Chandler and Mesa, AZ Davina Becker Medical Assistant of the Year 2012 and ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s Colorado Springs, CO Terra Runyan Medical Assistant of the Year 2011. We understand that our medical assistants make a significant contribution to the quality of health care, which is why ANY LAB TEST NOW® would like to say THANK YOU for all you do to help our customers with all of their lab testing needs.

To find out more about the lab testing services that our medical assistants can help you with visit www.anylabtestnow.com or stop by a location near you and say HELLO!

Women’s Health: How to Make the Most of Your Options for Care

Apart from general health issues, women have multiple unique health care concerns throughout their lifespan. Some of these concerns include pregnancy, menopause, breast and reproductive health, and though men and woman share a lot of the same general health concerns, they can affect women very differently. Some of these differences are:

Heart Health – 40% of women do not survive their first heart attack
Mental Health – women are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety
Sexually Transmitted Diseases – the effects of STDs are more serious in women than in men
Bone Density – women make up 80% of the estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis
Lupus – women make up 9 out of 10 adults with Lupus

With all of this to consider, it is important for women to remain aware of their state of health with regular visits to the doctor and healthy lifestyle choices, but keeping all of these issues in check can be costly. Between co-pays for doctor’s visits, the cost of lab work and the cost of the follow-up visit, a single check-up could run hundreds, if not thousands of dollars depending on access to health insurance and the level of coverage. To help keep health care costs under control and understanding that women’s health needs are particular, Health Care Reform under the Affordable Care Act has declared a list of eight preventative health services just for women that are available with no cost-sharing or co-payment due upon visit to the doctor*. These services became accessible to women on August 1, 2012 and include:

Breastfeeding: access to breastfeeding supplies as well as comprehensive support and counseling from trained providers for pregnant and nursing women
Contraception: Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling
Domestic and interpersonal violence: screening and counseling for all women
Gestational diabetes: screening for women 24 to 28 weeks pregnant and those at high risk of developing gestational diabetes
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): screening and counseling for sexually active women
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA Test: high risk HPV DNA testing every three years for women with normal cytology results who are 30 or older
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI): screening and counseling for sexually active women
Well-woman visits: to obtain recommended preventive services

*Coverage by doctors within network. Check insurance coverage policies to confirm Along with this increased standard of care it is also important for women to know that they have choices when managing costs and their level of care. For women with low-income that are possibly unable to afford health insurance, options such as Medicaid have been expanded to offer free or low-cost care, the Bronze plan is available within the Health Insurance Marketplace and covers 60% of health care costs with 40% of costs paid for out-of-pocket and Catastrophic Plans are available for those under 30 years of age and are considered healthy but want to have minimum coverage, “just in case.” Eligibility for these plans depend on income and family size. In addition, there are always Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) linked to high-deductable plans and cover most services such as lab tests, telemedicine services and prescriptions. Simple tips for women that want to keep their health and cost for care in check are:

Make healthy lifestyle choices such as healthy eating habits and dedicating to regular, moderate exercise
Create a calendar for the year for all necessary, preventative “Well-Woman” services and include a budget for each visit
Pay for affordable services out of pocket, such as lab testing whenever possible
There is no longer any need to go to your doctor for a baseline of your health – pay for cholesterol, heart health, hormone and wellness tests out-of-pocket or with an HSA or FSA at your local affordable, direct access lab testing facility ANY LAB TEST NOW®.

Take Control of Your Health® and stay up-to-date on the latest in women’s health issues by visiting our site regularly at www.anylabtestnow.com, by “liking” our Facebook Page, or following us on Twitter, and Pinterest.

Let’s Talk Prostate Cancer

You’re the man and you are invincible! But just because you feel invincible doesn’t mean that you’re 100% healthy. There are numerous conditions that affect a man’s health and prostate cancer is one of them. Let’s say maybe you don’t know what your prostate is or what it does, you are definitely not alone: most men don’t! But it’s something you really should take the time to learn a little more about.

According to the Men’s Health Network, over 30 million men suffer from prostate conditions that affect their quality of life and not in a good way. The CDC reported that in 2009 206,640 men in the United States were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 28,088 men died from it. This specific type of cancer is dangerous for the simple fact that it can sneak up on you some times showing no symptoms until it is in its advanced stage. That is when establishing a baseline and having frequent screenings come in handy.

“So how do I know when and if I should get screened?” In order to figure out when to get screened you need to take into consideration one of the main risk factors which is age. Though many doctors will recommend you get screened around age 50, no matter what age you are, all men need a PSA Test to establish a PSA “baseline”. Establishing a baseline at a younger age can help you monitor any changes in your PSA levels, which can result in early detection. Other risks include family history (a man with a father, brother, or son who has had prostate cancer is two to three times more likely to develop the disease himself) and race (according to the CDC African Americans are more likely to develop prostate cancer and have more than twice the risk of dying from it than any other race).

Now that you know these risk factors you must be telling yourself “I am around that age and I fit the description of the other risk facts, now what?” The easiest way to get you started is by getting a PSA test. This test is one of the easiest ways to detect any prostate problems. The test looks for PSA, a substance that may be found in high amounts in men with prostate cancer. However, a high PSA level does not always mean that a man has prostate cancer. High levels can also indicate an enlarged or inflamed prostate. Making this test the best 3 for 1 punch for your prostate health! Is the question “where can I get this test?” popping into your health? ANY LAB TEST NOW® offers PSA lab testing along with additional lab testing options that help you Take Control of Your Health®. Additional lab testing options include the Comprehensive Male Panel.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month! Help create awareness about this disease by setting an example and getting screened. Make blue look cool, Take Control of Your Health® and check-in on your PSA levels today! To learn more about ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s lab testing options stop by a location near you or visit www.anylabtestnow.com

Is It Hot in Here? Celebrating Menopause Awareness Month

Do you find yourself often asking “is it hot in here or is it me?” If you are a woman over 40 you could be experiencing “hot flashes” that combined with other symptoms could mean you have reached the “time of change” also known as Perimenopause. During perimenopause, or menopausal transition, estrogen and progesterone levels become unstable causing these “hot flashes” to invade your body and make you feel like you need a fireman to hose you down. “Hot flashes” combined with other symptoms could also mean that you are experiencing full on menopause.

Like everything related to a woman’s reproductive system, menopause symptoms vary per individual. Some experience little to no symptoms, while others have changes in several areas of their lives. So what are these symptoms? Menopause symptoms include:

changes in your menstrual cycle
hot flashes
night sweats
occasional sleeplessness
vaginal dryness
moodiness
sudden weight gain
loss of bone density

As estrogen levels become unstable your periods can come more often or less, last more days or fewer, and be lighter or heavier. Once your estrogen levels completely drop your periods cease and consequently ending your fertility. After twelve months without a period, a woman has officially completed the transition of perimenopause and entered menopause.

Do these symptoms sound like you? Could the “time of change” be knocking at your door? Are you wondering if those night sweats and irregular periods are due to the onset of menopause, or if it’s something else? Living with uncertainty is one of the most aggravating feelings in the world. Lucky for you, you don’t have to live with uncertainty as ANY LAB TEST NOW® offers affordable hormone lab testing that determines a variety of related factors such as how soon you may begin menopause, detect if you are going through menopause, and determine if you are healthy enough to begin hormone replacement therapy.

September is Menopause Awareness Month, why not take the opportunity to Take Control of Your Health® and check in on your hormones? For more information about ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s hormone lab testing options contact a location near you or visit www.anylabtestnow.com

Could It Be Low Testosterone?

Testosterone is a male hormone that helps to maintain muscle mass and strength, bone density, sex drive and sperm production in men. Often described as “Fuel for Men” testosterone levels begin to decrease at an approximate rate of 1% every year after a man turns 40. New studies are showing an increased number of men in their 30’s with decreasing testosterone levels.

Low testosterone is signified by levels that fall below 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) which leads to hypogonadism and even andropause, the male version of menopause. Though women experience a drastic decrease of estrogen levels during menopause, a decrease in testosterone in men can sometimes be so gradual that it goes undiagnosed and untreated. It’s been reported that the number of men taking part in testosterone replacement therapy has tripled since 2001 proving that men are no longer living with what was formerly thought of as natural signs of aging. What is most important before beginning therapy is that men are properly diagnosed to avoid any underlying health risks that they are not aware of.

How do you know when it is time to get tested for low testosterone? If you are a man aged 35 or older and you experience a combination of more than 1 or all of the following, it’s time to get tested.

Low Sex Drive – a drastic drop noticeable by a man and his partner
Erectile Dysfunction – difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection
Loss of Hair – not just male patter baldness, but also facial and body hair
Fatigue – low energy despite getting enough sleep or lacking motivation for physical activities
Low Sperm – noticeable decrease in amount of semen during ejaculation signifying a decrease in sperm count
Loss of Muscle Mass – a noticeable decrease in muscle mass and strength, especially in arms, legs and chest
Increased Body Fat – especially around the belly and chest area
Decreased Bone Mass – leading to osteoporosis, and easily damaged bones
Mood Changes – experiencing depression, irritability or lack of focus

If you recognize any of these symptoms, it may be time to see a physician but before you go, ANY LAB TEST NOW® can help you Take Control of Your Health® by getting the correct testosterone test. Many doctors have a hard time diagnosing low testosterone not only because again, the symptoms are often viewed as natural signs of aging, but also because most doctors only test for total testosterone levels. Though total testosterone is a small part of the picture, knowing your free (bioavailable) testosterone levels are also important along with knowing estradiol, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and thyroid levels in order to receive a proper diagnosis. Having a good understanding of these levels before you begin therapy is the best way to determine if testosterone replacement therapy is a safe option. Monitoring your levels during therapy is also important for making sure that replacement therapy is effective and to insure that you do not suffer from the unwanted side effects and health risks associated with too much testosterone.

ANY LAB TEST NOW® exclusively offers two comprehensive tests designed to make sure testosterone replacement therapy is right for you. To find out more about our Pre-Testosterone Therapy Panel and our Continued Testosterone Therapy panel visit www.anylabtestnow.com and search testosterone for a list of applicable tests and their benefits.

Raising Awareness for Health Centers During Health Center Week

Have you ever noticed that when you get sick you always feel the need to find out what’s wrong? Who wants to go another day with a tummy ache, a sore throat or the dreaded sinus headache and congestion? Believe it or not that’s one of the many benefits provided by health centers. You might start asking yourself… “But I don’t have insurance, so how can I get service?” The good news is you have options at your disposal that will empower you to Take Control of Your Health® whether you have high deductible insurance, a Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account, or if you are uninsured.

A great example of available options is ANY LAB TEST NOW®. Though ANY LAB TEST NOW® does not treat or diagnose, it does empower its customers to be proactive about managing their health by providing direct access to blood tests, DNA tests, drug and alcohol testing as well as other lab testing services. After you get your lab test results, you can quickly call a physician with our AmeriDoc telemedicine services program. The doctor is just a phone call a way, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can treat many non-emergent care issues by phone, video call, or chat.

According the National Association of Community Health Centers, there are around 44 million people in the U.S. that are currently uninsured with another 56 million with high deductible insurance. This often makes health take a back seat to cost, which stresses the importance of price transparency. Can you take more good news? ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s affordable, transparent prices fit into a person’s healthcare budget, providing a solution that continues to support overall health and wellness. Don’t let your health take a back seat, without it we are nothing.

During the week of August 11 – 17 the nation celebrates Health Center Week. Why not take the time during this week to stop by a health center near you, check in on your health and thank them for helping to empower you and your loved ones to Take Control of Your Health®?

To learn more about ANY LAB TEST NOW®’s lab testing options stop by an ANY LAB TEST NOW® near you or visit www.anylabtestnow.com