What employers and their employees need to know about biometric screenings

Summer is here, and for many, including Labcorp employees, that means it’s biometric screening season. A biometric screening is a 15- to 20-minute appointment, or mini health check, that gives your employees a snapshot of their vitals and overall metabolic health. 

A largely noninvasive process, biometric screenings offer the potential to identify health risks early, enabling timely intervention before conditions progress. In 2025, 28% of small employers (under 500 employees), 51% of mid-sized employers (500-5,000 employees), and 46% of large employers (over 5,000 employees) offered biometrics. The trend continues to grow with more employers looking to add the benefit in the future. 

For employers, these screenings serve a dual purpose. They give employees a snapshot of their health, and provide the employer with aggregate, de-identified data that can be used to customize benefits, wellness programs, and health incentives that reflect the specific needs of an employer’s workforce, from targeted chronic disease management initiatives to rewards for meeting defined health benchmarks.

A common concern among employees is how their individual results are handled. An employee’s results are protected under applicable privacy regulations, including HIPAA, and employers never receive individual-level health information unless the employee voluntarily chooses to share it. 

So, how can you and your employees prepare for biometric screenings and what can you expect?

Preparing for a biometric screening

Protocol varies, but to obtain the most accurate results, employees will typically be asked to fast 8 to 12 hours before the test. While drinking water during the fasting period is okay, consuming other food and beverages may affect blood sugar and triglyceride readings. In particular, drinking alcohol the night before a test may raise triglyceride levels.

Employees should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep, as lack of sleep can elevate blood pressure readings. They should still take prescription medication before appointments unless a physician instructs them otherwise. 

Employees also should drink plenty of water beforehand but skip early-morning coffee and energy drinks, as these stimulants can also raise blood pressure. They should consider wearing slip-on shoes and loose, comfortable clothing.

Watch how quick and easy a blood draw can be:

 

What occurs during a biometric screening

1. Physical measurements

The order of the tests during a biometric screening may vary, but physical measurements are often taken first. During this part of the screening, height and weight are measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). 

BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters (kg/m²) and serves as a widely used screening tool for weight-related health risk. The standard categories for BMI as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are as follows:

It’s important to acknowledge that BMI has well-documented limitations as a standalone metric. Because it measures the ratio of weight to height, it doesn’t distinguish between lean muscle mass and adipose (fat) tissue. 

A highly muscular individual may register in an overweight or obese category despite carrying a low percentage of body fat, while an individual with a normal weight BMI range may still carry an elevated proportion of visceral fat. For this reason, BMI is most meaningfully interpreted alongside additional measures like waist circumference, body composition analysis, and clinical history rather than in isolation. 

However, a waist circumference greater than 35 inches in women or 40 inches in men is independently associated with elevated cardiometabolic risk, regardless of BMI classification.

2. Blood pressure

Blood pressure is expressed as two numbers: systolic (the pressure when the heart beats) over diastolic (the pressure between beats). Both numbers are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The American Heart Association defines the following categories:

Sustained high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a leading risk factor for:

• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Kidney disease
• Vision loss

Key contributing risk factors include excess body weight, a diet high in sodium, physical inactivity, tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, chronic stress, a family history of hypertension, and advancing age.

To get more accurate blood pressure results, your employees should:

• Sit with legs uncrossed
• Have their feet flat on the floor
• Refrain from talking during the testing

The results can be profound: consider that 1 in 3 employees improve blood pressure through an employer-sponsored wellness program.

3. Blood sample

Depending on the type and scope of the tests ordered, this portion of the testing will either involve a quick finger poke (a “fingerstick”), with results processed in under 10 minutes, or a venipuncture (a blood draw from the arm). 

When a broader panel of markers is required, venipuncture is often preferred over a fingerstick because it yields a larger, higher-quality blood sample that allows the laboratory to run more comprehensive and accurate analyses, including tests for kidney function, liver enzymes, and electrolytes that can’t be performed reliably on a small capillary sample. 

If venipuncture is used, results are processed in a certified laboratory and uploaded to the employee's online wellness portal within 10 business days.

Basic values

A fingerstick panel typically includes a lipid panel, which comprises total cholesterol, HDL (often referred to as “good”) and LDL (often referred to as “bad”) cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and a fasting glucose measurement. Venipuncture tests usually offer a broader panel that may also measure electrolytes, as well as kidney and liver function tests.

Understanding why each of these markers matters is essential to interpreting the results meaningfully.

Total cholesterol 

Total cholesterol reflects the overall concentration of cholesterol in the blood. A desirable level is below 200 mg/dL, borderline high is 200-239 mg/dL, and high is 240 mg/dL or above. Elevated total cholesterol is a recognized risk factor for atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque in arterial walls, which underlies coronary artery disease and stroke.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol 

HDL cholesterol facilitates the transport of excess cholesterol from the bloodstream to the liver for excretion, a process known as reverse cholesterol transport. Higher levels are protective. For men, an HDL level below 40 mg/dL is considered a risk factor, whereas for women, below 50 mg/dL. 

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol 

LDL cholesterol is the primary carrier of cholesterol to peripheral tissues. When present in excess, LDL particles can infiltrate arterial walls and contribute to plaque formation. Optimal LDL is below 100 mg/dL, near optimal is 100-129 mg/dL, borderline high is 130-159 mg/dL, high is 160-189 mg/dL, and very high is 190 mg/dL or above.

Triglycerides 

Triglycerides are the most common form of fat stored in the body. Elevated triglycerides, a condition known as hypertriglyceridemia, are associated with increased cardiovascular risk, particularly when accompanied by low HDL or high LDL. An optimal level is below 150 mg/dL, borderline high is 150-199 mg/dL, high is 200-499 mg/dL, and very high is 500 mg/dL or above.

Glucose 

Glucose measures blood sugar concentration after fasting. A normal fasting glucose level is 99 mg/dL or below. A reading of 100-125 mg/dL may indicate prediabetes, while 126 mg/dL or above on two separate occasions is consistent with a diagnosis of diabetes. Chronically elevated glucose damages blood vessels and nerves, contributing to the cardiovascular, renal, and neurological complications associated with Type 2 diabetes.

Venipuncture tests typically include a broader panel that may also measure electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium, which are critical to cardiac and muscular function), kidney function markers (including creatinine and blood urea nitrogen), and liver function tests (such as ALT and AST), providing a more comprehensive picture of metabolic health.

Reviewing results

If you offer your biometric screening on-site, a health coach may be available to provide a quick review of your employees’ results and answer their questions in real time. If that option is unavailable, following up with a primary care physician to review the results in clinical context is strongly encouraged. 

Many screening programs also offer telephonic health coaching as part of the benefit. These appointments can:

• Help contextualize results
• Clarify what specific values mean for an individual's risk profile
• Support the development of an actionable plan for improvement

Employers often use aggregate results to refine and personalize wellness program offerings. That could mean expanding nutrition education, adding mental health resources, or structuring incentive programs that reward employees for meeting defined health benchmarks, aligning with the actual health needs of their workforces.