Should You Have Regular Preventive Health Screenings?
Life Line Screening allows you to go beyond the regular annual checkup that you have at the doctor. If you have a family history of stroke or cardiovascular disease, Life Line Screening is a fast, affordable way to get a checkup.
Every month, 50,000 to 60,000 people decide to give Life Line a try.
What is Life Line Screenings Services?
Life Line offers events in 48 states, often at your local senior center, community center or place of worship. You can schedule your screening online, and it is a multi-step process which starts by entering your ZIP code.
How Does Their Preventative Health Screenings Work?
Basic information about you is asked, such as your:
- Age
- Height
- Weight
You’ll be seen by a certified specialist who is trained to provide health screenings. When you sign up, you’ll be able to choose between a list of screenings (more on that below). Once the screening is complete, you’ll either have the results immediately or shortly after.
When results are not immediate, they will be sent through U.S. mail and arrive in 2 – 3 weeks.
The results may also provide recommendations for further testing, depending on the results. All of the results are reviewed and verified by state-licensed physicians who will review the results in a certified laboratory.
Which Screening Tests are Good for High Blood Pressure?
You select the screening tests that you want when filling out the application form online. There are 15 different screening options to pick from, including key screenings for:
- Carotid artery disease
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Prostate cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Osteoporosis
- Thyroid disease
- Testosterone deficiency
- High cholesterol
Multiple panels and other options are also available. You can see if you have the C-reactive protein or take a life health assessment. You can have a wellness panel test or an A1c screening. Complete vital organ screenings and wellness panels are also available.
State-of-the-art screening methods are used, too.
Three screening methods that may or may not be used, depending on the test that you choose, will be:
- Finger-stick blood test
- Limited EKG
- Ultrasound
Preventative health screenings may or may not be right for you. But it’s recommended that adults over the age of 50 have screenings done to understand their risk of stroke, chronic health conditions and cardiovascular disease.
The healthy 40-year-old can also learn about his or her health risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
And even if you’re younger, some of the tests may be appropriate for you. Screenings are ideal when you’re at higher risk of a disease or illness due to lifestyle choices or family history.
Five categories of screenings are available:
- Heart Disease and Stroke
- Liver, Kidney and Diabetes
- Cancer
- Bone and Joint
- Wellness Panels
When you click on one of the screenings that you want to order, you can find a lot of information about the test and what it means. For example, the Carotid Artery test explains where the arteries are located and what happens as a person ages.
The documentation explains how these arteries become clogged up with plaque.
Risk factors start becoming an issue when a person is:
- 40+
- Has a family history of heart disease or stroke
- Smokes (or smoked in the past)
Full details of each type of screening are provided, including warning signs of disease or illness related to each test. Thorough and informative, you’ll also find information on when each test should be administered and how frequently.
How Much Do Life Line Screening Tests Cost?
Screenings are offered in packages, so you may have multiple (5 is the typical amount) screenings to determine if you have diabetes or vascular disease. A standard package is $149. You can also go up to another package which performs the same five tests and a complete health assessment.
The health assessment may provide you with the risk factors for six major chronic diseases.
But you can also pay $19.95 to become a gold member. The membership will provide you with six standard health screenings per year. You will also be provided with any of the vascular screenings that the ultrasound specialist recommends.
What’s nice about the membership, and a key reason that people become members, is that the membership also provides you with:
- Nursing consultations all done on a one-on-one basis
- Up to $100 in laboratory analysis per year
- Two carotid artery screenings
- VIP customer service
Life Line Screening performs the key tests that you need to have done to know if you’re at risk of stroke or heart attack. Of course, there are a variety of other tests and health risks that a person is screened for to have a full understanding on their health.
Where to Order Stroke Screening Tests
If you want to use Life Line Screening, you can go on their official website and schedule your test immediately. The company works with partners in each community that allow Life Line to work in their offices or space.
The goal is to cut out the overhead costs associated with office space, and that savings is passed on to you.
Most customers choose to have a Life Line Screening performed around the same time annually. The norm is to have the screening close to your annual physical. Most doctors will not order a screening from Life Line for their patients, so it’s a process that you’ll need to do on your own.
Tests will determine if you’re at risk for a health condition or if you have it.
Further tests may be required to determine the severity of the condition. Results will be provided either at the clinic or they will come in the mail.
Anyone who is in their 40s or older should have health screenings performed. You can use these screenings as a way to treat a chronic illness or disease early on, or you can use the results as a “wake up call’ to change your current bad habits.