Wellness Screening: Your Guide to Tests & Checklists

A “wellness screening” can mean a lot of different things—anything from a quick blood pressure check at a pharmacy to a full preventive planning session with your doctor. Whether it’s called a health risk assessment, a biometric screen, or an annual wellness visit, the goal is the same: to catch health risks effectively before they become problems.

To help you navigate these options, this guide covers:

• What employer and retail wellness screenings typically include (and where to find them)
• The key differences between a wellness screening, a routine physical, and a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
• Examples of different screening types (including biometrics, cancer screenings, and DEXA scans)
• How to create a personalized, age-appropriate screening checklist
• How DEXA body composition scans fit into a modern wellness strategy

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Pairing DEXA with Wellness Screening

Learn how BodySpec DEXA scans can help if you're starting wellness screening.

Book a BodySpec DEXA scan today and see exactly how your body composition changes over time.

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What Is a Wellness Screening?

A wellness screening is a set of preventive measurements and/or tests designed to identify health risks early. Unlike a diagnostic exam (which looks for the cause of a specific symptom like pain or fatigue), a wellness screening looks at healthy (asymptomatic) people to spot potential issues.

Retail and Employer Screenings: What Are They?

Outside of a doctor's office, you will most often encounter wellness screenings in two places:

1. Employer Biometric Screenings:

   • What they are: Many companies offer these to employees to lower insurance premiums or provide health insights. They are usually "short and sweet"—focusing on "knowing your numbers."
   • What to expect: A 15-minute appointment involving a finger-prick or blood draw (for cholesterol and glucose), blood pressure check, and body metrics (height, weight, waist circumference).
   • Where they happen: Often on-site in a conference room, or you might be sent to a partner lab like Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp.

2. Retail Health Screenings:

   • What they are: Accessible, walk-in preventive checks available directly to consumers.
   • Where to find them: Major pharmacy chains (like CVS MinuteClinic or Walgreens), grocery store pharmacies, and independent wellness labs.
   • What to expect: Similar to employer screens, they offer à la carte testing—you can walk in and request a lipid panel, blood pressure check, or A1c test without a doctor's referral in many states.

Types of Wellness Screenings

While "biometric screening" (fluids and vitals) is the most common type, "wellness screening" is a broad umbrella that can also include:

• Imaging Screenings: Tests that look inside the body, such as DEXA scans (for bone density and body composition), vascular screenings (checking for carotid artery plaque), or mammograms.
• Cancer Screenings: Specific protocols like colonoscopies or skin checks.
• Functional Screenings: Vision tests, hearing tests, and cognitive assessments (often part of senior wellness visits).

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Wellness Screening vs. Physical Exam vs. Medicare AWV

It is common to confuse these terms, but they have very different definitions—especially when it comes to billing and what actually happens during the appointment.

The "Primary Care" Confusion

If you book a "wellness visit" at your primary care clinic, clarify what that means.

• If it’s a Medicare AWV: The doctor will focus on paperwork, memory tests, and a screening schedule. They might not listen to your lungs or check your reflexes unless you report a symptom (which might trigger a separate "sick visit" copay).
• If it’s a "Preventive Physical": This usually includes the hands-on exam.
• If it’s a "Wellness Screen" appointment: This might just be a nurse visit to collect blood and check blood pressure.

Always ask specifically if your visit includes a physical exam or just a wellness prevention plan.

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Ready to Scan? Book your BodySpec DEXA Here!

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What Is Included in a Typical Biometric Screening?

Whether done at work or a retail clinic, most general wellness (biometric) panels stick to the basics.

Common Measurements and Lab Tests

• Vitals: Blood Pressure, Pulse.
• Anthropometrics: Height, Weight, BMI, Waist Circumference.
• Blood Chemistry:
  • Lipid Panel: Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides.
  • Glucose: Fasting blood sugar (diabetes risk).
• Optional Add-ons: A1c (long-term sugar), Cotinine (tobacco use), hs-CRP (inflammation).

Timing and Prep

These appointments are fast—typically 10–15 minutes. Because they measure glucose and lipids, you are often asked to fast for 9–12 hours beforehand (water is usually okay, but coffee/food are not).

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A Simple Wellness Screening Planner

Use this as a framework. Your clinician may recommend different tests based on your history.

Step 1: Start With the “Core 4”

Establish a baseline for these annually:

1. Blood pressure (Heart health)
2. Lipids (Cholesterol/Triglycerides)
3. Glucose (Metabolic/Diabetes risk)
4. Body Composition (Beyond just "weight")

Step 2: Add Age-Based Preventive Screenings

Major health organizations recommend specific checks at specific ages.

• Cervical cancer: Pap/HPV testing intervals (typically 20s–60s).
• Colon cancer: Screening now often starts at age 45.
• Breast cancer: Mammography discussions often start at 40.
• Osteoporosis: Bone density screening (DEXA) typically starts at 65 for women, but earlier with risk factors.

(Labcorp’s annual health screening guidelines)

Step 3: Choose Where to Go

• Primary Care: Best for comprehensive care and interpreting results.
• Retail/Employer: Best for convenience and free/low-cost "data snapshots."
• Specialty Labs (like BodySpec): Best for specialized data like precise body composition or bone density that isn't always included in a standard physical.

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Where BodySpec Fits: The “Metabolic Wellness” Screening

Most standard wellness screenings stop at BMI (height and weight). While helpful, BMI is a crude tool—it can classify a muscular athlete as "overweight" or a person with low muscle mass but high body fat as "normal."

A DEXA body composition scan functions as an advanced wellness screening. It gives you the "under the hood" view that a scale cannot:

• Muscle vs. Fat: See exactly how much lean tissue you have compared to fat mass.
• Visceral Fat: This is the dangerous, metabolically active fat stored around your organs. High visceral fat is linked to diabetes and heart disease, even in people with "normal" weight.
• Bone Health: Monitor bone mineral density (BMD) to track long-term skeletal strength.

Is a DEXA a "wellness screening"?
Yes. While it is also a diagnostic tool for osteoporosis, when used for body composition, it is a preventive wellness tool. It helps you track the effectiveness of your diet and training before health markers (like blood sugar) start to slide.

Learn more about what these results mean in our full guide to DEXA scans for visceral fat.

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Wellness Screening by Life Stage (Quick Checklist)

Ages 20–39 (Baseline + Trend)

• Key Focus: Establish your "normal."
• The Checklist: Blood pressure (every 2 yrs), Cholesterol (every 4–6 yrs), Glucose, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) screenings as appropriate.
• BodySpec Tip: Review your muscle mass baseline now. It is easier to build muscle in your 20s and 30s than to play catch-up later.

Ages 40–49 (Risk Factors)

• Key Focus: Catching silent issues.
• The Checklist: Blood pressure (yearly), Cholesterol/Glucose (more frequent), Colorectal screening (start at 45).
• BodySpec Tip: Watch for "sarcopenia" (muscle loss) and visceral fat creep. Metabolism often slows here; a DEXA scan can separate hormonal weight gain from simple lifestyle changes.

Ages 50–64 (Prevention + Function)

• Key Focus: Maintaining function and preventing chronic disease.
• The Checklist: Shingles vaccine, Prostate screening discussions, regular A1c checks.
• BodySpec Tip: Bone health becomes critical. Post-menopausal women should monitor bone density closely.

Ages 65+ (Medicare + Independence)

• Key Focus: Quality of life and safety.
• The Checklist: Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (cognitive + prevention plan), Falls risk assessment, Bone density (DEXA) for osteoporosis.
• BodySpec Tip: Maintaining lean mass is the #1 factor for independence. Regular scans help incentivize strength training.

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Cost and Insurance: How to Avoid Surprise Bills

Private Insurance

Most ACA-compliant plans cover specific preventive services (like annual physicals and certain labs) at 100%—but only if coded correctly.

• Tip: When booking, ask for a "Preventive Visit." If you say "I have headaches," it may turn into a "Diagnostic Visit" (subject to copay/deductible).

Medicare

Medicare covers the Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) at 100% with no copay.

• Note: If your doctor orders extra tests investigating a problem during this visit, you may pay a copay for those specific tests.

Wellness Screening Programs

Employer and retail screenings are often out-of-pocket or covered by specific corporate wellness benefits.

• BodySpec Scans: These are generally an out-of-pocket wellness expense ($50–$60 range depending on package). However, you can often use HSA/FSA funds (check your specific plan rules) for body composition testing if deemed medically necessary/part of a health program.

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How to Schedule a BodySpec DEXA as Part of Your Wellness Plan

You don’t need a doctor's referral to add body composition data to your wellness checklist. You can book a scan directly at any of our mobile clinics or storefronts. We have locations across major metros including Austin, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

For best results, try to scan under similar conditions (e.g., morning, fasted) each time. See our full guide on how to prepare for your BodySpec scan.

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Bottom Line

A wellness screening—whether it's a 15-minute check at CVS, a finger-prick at work, or a scan at BodySpec—is about data, not diagnosis. It gives you the information you need to make adjustments before you get sick.

Build your own "wellness stack":

1. Get your routine labs (lipids/glucose) from your doctor or employer.
2. Get your structural data (muscle/fat/bone) from a DEXA scan.
3. Use both to build a lifestyle plan that actually works for your physiology.