Use lipid panels without fasting where possible

Some clinical groups continue to recommend a fasting lipid panel prior to starting statin therapy (per the American College of Cardiology, 2013) and fasting lipid panels continue to have a role in the care of patients with significantly elevated triglycerides.

Fasting has also shown to be a barrier to patients getting their blood drawn for testing. Patients may come to an appointment unprepared for testing, and upon leaving the office, don't stop in the Lab and may be unable or don't remember to return for lab testing. Also, fasting patients typically present for blood collection in the morning hours, and this can mean higher laboratory volumes and increased patient wait times.

To improve patient convenience and compliance with clinician requested testing, while maintaining high quality care, Intermountain Laboratory Services offers a non-fasting lipid panel order in iCentra, which has been available since 2010. Please use this lipid panel unless fasting is required by the patient's clinical condition. This test will appear as the top result in iCentra when "Lipid" is entered in the search box: