Rythm VS Quest blood tests

Tbagger

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I was curious how legit Rythm Health blood tests were so I decided to try them side by side with my annual physical and blood test. Rythm seemed too good to be true with the tiny vial you fill then send in and it hit like 30 biomarkers for $100 after shipping. But I figured it was worth a shot. I took the blood draws less than an hour apart. Here are the results I got.

Total Testosterone ng/dl

Quest: 370 Rythm: 472


Free T3 pg/ml

Quest: 3.5 Rythm: 2.6


HDL mg/dl

Quest: 37 Rythm: 38


LDL mg/dl

Quest: 104 Rythm:112


Total Cholesterol mg/dl

Quest: 157 Rythm: 161


HDLC Ratio

Quest: 4.2 Rythm: 4.2


Triglycerides mg/dl

Quest: 69 Rythm: 55


Thyroid Stimulating Hormone mlU/ml

Quest: 1.4 Rythm:1.9


Albumin g/dl

Quest: 4.6 Rythm: 3.8

There were a bunch of other tests on both sides that didn’t overlap covering many different biomarkers. The great thing about quest is that my insurance covers a lot of tests and I can get anything else I want tested if I have the money. But scheduling the tests and getting them approved can be a PITA sometimes.

I like that Rythm is easy and convenient. Other than the Testosterone, it seems to be fairly accurate compared to Quest. And it’s fairly cheap. The biggest downside for me is that it’s a set panel of tests and you cant customize the it. I hear they are working on being able to add tests that you want like IGF-1, but who knows when it will be implemented.

In conclusion, I’m pretty happy with the results of Rythm. I will probably continue the subscription on a quarterly basis or more frequently as needed. I like their set panel of tests but look forward to having the option to add-on more tests that I want.
 
I am probably just nitpicking here, for most practical purposes the differences between the two sets of test results do not matter, but I would want to be sure which set of tests are correct before using any of the numbers to make decisions about hormone treatment in particular, or anything where the differences were more than a few percent.

Laboratories testing human blood generally have to be accurate, their equipment calibrated and checked and tested against known references to make certain of accuracy. People's lives depend on that accuracy.

A lot of the results are quite similar, differences of a few percent seem pretty reasonable, but the hormone tests show differences of 20+%, that is a lot , and I find it very hard to believe a test should show that much difference in results between 2 different labs, even if using slightly different equipment or different tests. That degree of difference is more than enough to make a difference to clinical decision making to increase or decrease doses of a hormone therapy or to treat or not treat a problem based on those levels.

I know very little about the organisation of the US health system. I am guessing that Quest is a more standard blood testing service. And I would hope that the standard blood testing services in the US are fairly reliable. It is something the FDA is responsible for, but I doubt it's recent damage would prevent it from doing basic services like maintaining standards for testing.

Looking at Rythm's website they state

"How accurate is at-home testing?
The rythm collection device demonstrates excellent concordance with traditional lab venipuncture collection, with concordance correlation coefficients (CCC’s) ranging from 95-99%, ensuring reliable and accurate results.
How is rythm different to theranos?
Rythm is built on transparency, validated methods, and established science. We use FDA-cleared devices for blood collection, and CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited labs for analysis to ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability. We also acknowledge the limitations of small sample volumes, which is why we focus on tracking a carefully selected panel of high-signal markers."

Their claim of 95-99% accuracy, does not seem to be the case with the above results, and if their process is as validated and certified as they say then there should not be 20 percent differences in results. If the small sample of blood used for the tests is causing the difference in results , then that also does not fit with their "carefully selected panel" of tests argument.
 
Which testosterone was taken earlier?

Testosterone is ideally taken before 10 AM, but I think that is overrated.

How fast was the turnaround for results? Quest is taking a while on my testosterone results. If I get them today, that will be six days. But for simple tests, they can be next day sometimes.

I think of Rythm everytime I am waiting room for lab work.
 
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Which testosterone was taken earlier?

Testosterone is ideally taken before 10 AM, but I think that is overrated.

How fast was the turnaround for results? Quest is taking a while on my testosterone results. If I get them today, that will be six days. But for simple tests, they can be next day sometimes.

I think of Rythm everytime I am waiting room for lab work.
Rythm was taken at approx 8:30am and Quest was taken at just before 9:30am. But I am a graveyard worker so that is at the end of my day. I was still fasted and skipped my workout that day. But I'm sure having it so late affected the results. This test wasn't about getting the most accurate results, it was more to see if the results were similar. And for the testosterone, one failed. I tend to trust Quest more so I am going to go ahead and say that failure is with Rythm. But if just following trends, I think that can be used as a tool. And I got the results 4 days after I sent off the sample.
 
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I am probably just nitpicking here, for most practical purposes the differences between the two sets of test results do not matter, but I would want to be sure which set of tests are correct before using any of the numbers to make decisions about hormone treatment in particular, or anything where the differences were more than a few percent.

Laboratories testing human blood generally have to be accurate, their equipment calibrated and checked and tested against known references to make certain of accuracy. People's lives depend on that accuracy.

A lot of the results are quite similar, differences of a few percent seem pretty reasonable, but the hormone tests show differences of 20+%, that is a lot , and I find it very hard to believe a test should show that much difference in results between 2 different labs, even if using slightly different equipment or different tests. That degree of difference is more than enough to make a difference to clinical decision making to increase or decrease doses of a hormone therapy or to treat or not treat a problem based on those levels.

I know very little about the organisation of the US health system. I am guessing that Quest is a more standard blood testing service. And I would hope that the standard blood testing services in the US are fairly reliable. It is something the FDA is responsible for, but I doubt it's recent damage would prevent it from doing basic services like maintaining standards for testing.

Looking at Rythm's website they state

"How accurate is at-home testing?
The rythm collection device demonstrates excellent concordance with traditional lab venipuncture collection, with concordance correlation coefficients (CCC’s) ranging from 95-99%, ensuring reliable and accurate results.
How is rythm different to theranos?
Rythm is built on transparency, validated methods, and established science. We use FDA-cleared devices for blood collection, and CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited labs for analysis to ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability. We also acknowledge the limitations of small sample volumes, which is why we focus on tracking a carefully selected panel of high-signal markers."

Their claim of 95-99% accuracy, does not seem to be the case with the above results, and if their process is as validated and certified as they say then there should not be 20 percent differences in results. If the small sample of blood used for the tests is causing the difference in results , then that also does not fit with their "carefully selected panel" of tests argument.
I definitely trust Quest more than Rythm. And I agree that I would not trust medical decisions off of their testosterone results. Variations will exist between labs and methods, but a 20% difference is unacceptable to guide medical decisions. I was suspicious of them to begin with which led me to try this comparison. I was surprised that they were as close with the rest of the results though. I think I will use them as a tool to track trends, but will stick with Quest for making any major medical decisions.
 
Gemini agrees that the testosterone result from Rythm was not accurate:

The higher result (472) was taken at an earlier time point, which supports the higher reading, but the sheer size of the difference is almost certainly a matter of different lab methods and assay accuracy.

The other concern I have with Rythm is they don't do ALT (or AST) values and no hematocrit or hemoglobin.
 
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Are you ordering the Quest labs directly? I ask because I've had good luck going through 3rd party vendors (like OwnYourLabs) in terms of bringing the pricing down significantly VS Quest retail price.

Edit: Oops, mixed that up in my head. OwnYourLabs is discounting for Labcorp, not Quest.
 
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I've used 4 different at home tests. I stick with Rythm unless I want the markers that Siphox offers, then I use them. Siphox is just so SLOW!
The nearest blood draw lab is a 2 hour drive from me, so I'm not doing that every 6 weeks. Even if it were closer, Rythm, and Siphox on sale, is so much cheaper that I'd do them anyway. My insurance is absolute worthless garbage (even though it costs over $20K/yr for 4) so it would make no difference.
 
Are you ordering the Quest labs directly? I ask because I've had good luck going through 3rd party vendors (like OwnYourLabs) in terms of bringing the pricing down significantly VS Quest retail price.
I get them ordered from my PCP.
 
I've used 4 different at home tests. I stick with Rythm unless I want the markers that Siphox offers, then I use them. Siphox is just so SLOW!
The nearest blood draw lab is a 2 hour drive from me, so I'm not doing that every 6 weeks. Even if it were closer, Rythm, and Siphox on sale, is so much cheaper that I'd do them anyway. My insurance is absolute worthless garbage (even though it costs over $20K/yr for 4) so it would make no difference.
Do any that you use test IGF-1?
 
I've used 4 different at home tests. I stick with Rythm unless I want the markers that Siphox offers, then I use them. Siphox is just so SLOW!
The nearest blood draw lab is a 2 hour drive from me, so I'm not doing that every 6 weeks. Even if it were closer, Rythm, and Siphox on sale, is so much cheaper that I'd do them anyway. My insurance is absolute worthless garbage (even though it costs over $20K/yr for 4) so it would make no difference.
I was so excited when I found Siphox. Then they took over a month to send me their stupid kit, with multiple emails a week with some BS explanation about why it was taking so long. Then they didn't adjust the autobill for the next kit to account for the month delay in shipping.

Then when I opened the box they stuck a note in that I "must" be on a call for the first draw, and the draw has to be done Monday - Thursday, within 2 hours of waking up, and fasted. So for me to make this work, I have to stop eating at 4p the day before, and get up at 4a to do this stupid goddamn thing (I'm up at 4:45 - 5:00 Monday - Friday and don't have time then for this kind of crap).

It was so disappointing and a total waste of $125 IMO.
 
I was so excited when I found Siphox. Then they took over a month to send me their stupid kit, with multiple emails a week with some BS explanation about why it was taking so long. Then they didn't adjust the autobill for the next kit to account for the month delay in shipping.

Then when I opened the box they stuck a note in that I "must" be on a call for the first draw, and the draw has to be done Monday - Thursday, within 2 hours of waking up, and fasted. So for me to make this work, I have to stop eating at 4p the day before, and get up at 4a to do this stupid goddamn thing (I'm up at 4:45 - 5:00 Monday - Friday and don't have time then for this kind of crap).

It was so disappointing and a total waste of $125 IMO.
The last Rythm kit I ordered showed up in 2 days. The last results I got from them took 2 days from the time I dropped it at FedEx.
The last Siphox kit I ordered took 2 weeks to show up. The last results from them took closer to 3 weeks and I had to call them to get it. My wife's last Siphox test, about 2/3 of the markers were missing in her results. When I asked them what was going on, they said they had problems at the lab and would credit me $25 on the next test. I said if that's what you're going to pull, I will no longer use your services. They said wait, wait, we'll send you a free replacement test.
 
The last Rythm kit I ordered showed up in 2 days. The last results I got from them took 2 days from the time I dropped it at FedEx.
The last Siphox kit I ordered took 2 weeks to show up. The last results from them took closer to 3 weeks and I had to call them to get it. My wife's last Siphox test, about 2/3 of the markers were missing in her results. When I asked them what was going on, they said they had problems at the lab and would credit me $25 on the next test. I said if that's what you're going to pull, I will no longer use your services. They said wait, wait, we'll send you a free replacement test.
I just chatted with Siphox about what I posted here and I told them I probably wouldn't be using the kit, and all I got was an "Ok, sorry to see you go".

I'm on the fence about being a huge pain in the ass and doing a chargeback since there's endless pages of garbage on their website, but nothing covering the fact that the test needs to be fasted and done within two hours of waking up.

Thoroughly unimpressed with this - aside from the full month it took them to send me this stupid thing, plus all the bullshit that's only discoverable after you pay for it.
 
I get them ordered from my PCP.
I use RequestATest.com that lets me choose between Quest and Labcorps with a full a la carte menu of tests - which by my measure are both industry standard and very reliably correlated. My research has shown me that for some expectations, I would rather spend the money and the time for accuracy because expediency and inexpensive almost never correlate with quality - and lack of quality in a blood test is beyond useless to me.
 
I use RequestATest.com
Relatively expensive compared to some others.

@tubby mentioned OwnYourLabs, which looks good. Another one is DrSays for using LabCorp, but it has a draw fee of $10 or so.

I use Fitomics, which has a $30 monthly fee, but the IGF-1 is only $14 at LabCorp through them. Fitomics also allows Quest but the prices are higher (mostly for IGF-1). And for some reason, Fitomics has a smaller subset of tests with Quest. There are also promo codes for Fitomics posted on the forum (for the labs, not the subscription).
 
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Relatively expensive compared to some others.

@tubby mentioned OwnYourLabs, which looks good. Another one is DrSays for using LabCorp, but it has a draw fee of $10 or so.

I use Fitomics, which has a $30 monthly fee, but the IGF-1 is only $14 at LabCorp through them. Fitomics also allows Quest but the prices are higher (mostly for IGF-1). And for some reason, Fitomics has a smaller subset of tests with Quest. There are also promo codes for Fitomics posted on the forum (for the labs, not the subscription).
Very good to have options. The difference in IGF-1 cost is substantial and still ultimately through Labcorp who I trust. Def going to give Fitomics a look as I would like to test IGF-1 more often but - as you pointed out - RequestATest is pricey. Right on.
 
I would be interested to see what rythm would say about the test result differences. Their results are going to have to be more accurate than that to stay in business. I did not notice yesterday that the albumin test was also off, 3.8 is at the edge of abnormally low and pretty unlikely without some major health problems. It is hard to know if the results can be trusted to follow trends or not, it would depend on the results being systematically off in the same direction or just randomly off. A random error of 20% is too large to use to follow trends, but I would guess a lot of the other tests results were more consistent? Would need to see repeated sets of results to know.
 
People may be willing to forgo a lot of accuracy for a lot of convenience.

But no liver enzymes (ALT or AST) is pretty basic stuff that is missing to me. So if your biggest problem is elevated liver enzymes, you might as well go to LapCorp or Quest for everything else too.
 
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I think I'm going to look into RequestATest and Fitomics. I'm mostly interested in liver/kidney health, testosterone/estrodiol levels, and IGF1. The more I think about it, the less happy I become with Rythm.
 
People may be willing to forgo a lot of accuracy for a lot of convenience.
Lab blood work intrinsically isn't like a hair cut or finding a deal on a new pair of pants where close counts and cost is an attenuator and sadly I know that your measure of people is accurate. LOL

Why bother at all with lab work of any kind if convenience outweighs accuracy?

Doesn't make any sense at all to me.

But again, I know you're right. People are super often willing to be willfully ignorant and in denial - to what end I do not know but it is factual to accept that.

The difference between an accurate HbA1c and an inaccurate one can be life changing.

But people proved themselves buying rocks for pets in the 70s so there's that.
 
I think I'm going to look into RequestATest and Fitomics. I'm mostly interested in liver/kidney health, testosterone/estrodiol levels, and IGF1. The more I think about it, the less happy I become with Rythm.
You can also look at Labcorp directly for the tests you mention fwiw and forgo the "middle man." I do not know if Quest offers the same service. I must say though that what @Calm Logic reports regarding Fitomics sounds like it might be the most cost-efficient AND accurate way to go if one plans on having multiple labs done monthly or bi-monthly. Having them done every quarter starts to become more of a question for me subscription-wise. Even still, I think the math works in Fitomics favor. I'll make a spreadsheet in my spare time to compare.
🙂

EDIT: I just perused Fitomics website - at least the one that pops up first in my Google search and I don't find it intuitive enough for me to make a comparison to RequestATest which is basically an online menu of hundreds of easily reviewable and readily available bloodwork, urine, etc tests. I don't mean at all to be a knock on Fitomics. RATHER - I have to notice and report what CONVENIENCE means to me personally (as the light bulb goes off in my own head) - I do not want to search and read. I want my options with inherently accurate results handed to me on a very obvious platter and I am willing to pay for that.

This edit is meant only for clarity-sake - again - as it is also becoming clearer to me.
 
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You can also look at Labcorp directly for the tests you mention fwiw and forgo the "middle man." I do not know if Quest offers the same service. I must say though that what @Calm Logic reports regarding Fitomics sounds like it might be the most cost-efficient AND accurate way to go if one plans on having multiple labs done monthly or bi-monthly. Having them done every quarter starts to become more of a question for me subscription-wise. Even still, I think the math works in Fitomics favor. I'll make a spreadsheet in my spare time to compare.
🙂

EDIT: I just perused Fitomics website - at least the one that pops up first in my Google search and I don't find it intuitive enough for me to make a comparison to RequestATest which is basically an online menu of hundreds of easily reviewable and readily available bloodwork, urine, etc tests. I don't mean at all to be a knock on Fitomics. RATHER - I have to notice and report what CONVENIENCE means to me personally (as the light bulb goes off in my own head) - I do not want to search and read. I want my options handed to me on a very obvious platter and I am willing to pay for that.

This edit is meant only for clarity-sake - again - as it is also becoming clearer to me.
I just did the same and I agree, their site is not very informative. But I did find a large thread here that explains it in more detail. I think I'll be going with Fitomics. Already cancelled my Rythm subscription. Their accuracy was just too far off, even for just tracking trends. I am going to be starting a Tesa+Ipa cycle along with Enclomiphene, so I will be getting monthly testing for a while to keep an eye on my test, estradiol, and IGF1 levels. Also, it never hurts to watch kidney and liver enzymes while researching.
 
I am going to be starting a Tesa+Ipa cycle along with Enclomiphene, so I will be getting monthly testing for a while to keep an eye on my test, estradiol, and IGF1 levels. Also, it never hurts to watch kidney and liver enzymes while researching.
I have been running that same exact stack (+ Tirz/Survo) since August and have been very pleased with the results on all the same measures you are looking at. For cardio-concerns, I also run a lipid panel and ApoB routinely. A CRP test is good for liver if you were not aware. Best of luck to you!
 
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A CBC test at LabCorp through Fitomics is less than $3. So it is crazy Fitomics doesn't publish their lab prices themselves. Only $5 for a CMP, $5 for an A1c, and $7 for a lipid panel. The biggest savings includes IGF-1 at $14 and testosterone free and total at $22 (using the LabCorp option).

But I just noticed MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs) has some great prices, including on hormone tests using Quest, often better than the cheapest options at Fitomics.

A price comparison of various lab test prices at different sites (including Fitomics, OwnYourLabs, DrSays, MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs), Rupa Health, JansonHealth, Marek, Quest's website, and LabCorp's website), posted at the Fitomics thread:


Also attached as a PDF (but the above spreadsheet is updated every so often by the author, who can be contacted at Discord to report errors).

Fitomics Coupon Codes:

FIRST10 (10% off first lab order)
DISCORDLABS (5% off lab orders)
 

Attachments

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MyBlood.AI has an $8 draw fee for LabCorp and a $12 draw fee for Quest. No draw fees with Fitomics since that is included with the subscription.

The hack with Fitomics is to order your tests for up to the next six months. You don't need an active membership to get test results back. To avoid the monthly renewal, you can cancel right after joining, which keeps your membership active until the end of the subscription month.

Fun with Gemini, comparing MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs) to Fitomics (with some errors and omissions, so best to check the spreadsheet comparing various lab sites):

Test NameCheaper VendorCheaper PriceMore Expensive Price
AmylaseMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$4.00$6.76
Apolipoprotein A-1Fitomics (LabCorp)$13.61$19.00
Apolipoprotein BFitomics (LabCorp)$7.90$12.00
C-Reactive ProteinMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$5.90
C-Reactive Protein, High Sensitivity (Cardiac)Fitomics (LabCorp)$8.99$9.00
Complete Blood Count (CBC) w/ differentialFitomics (LabCorp)$2.90$4.00
Comprehensive Metabolic Profile (14)Fitomics (LabCorp)$4.90$5.00
CopperFitomics (LabCorp)$11.34$27.00
CortisolFitomics (LabCorp)$5.17$8.00
DHEA-SulfateFitomics (LabCorp)$7.50$11.00
Dihydroxytestosterone (DHT)MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$35.00$48.99
Estradiol (E2)Fitomics (LabCorp)$6.50$8.00
Estradiol (ultrasensitive), LC/MS (E2)Fitomics (LabCorp)$33.95$36.00
FerritinFitomics (LabCorp)$4.98$9.00
Folice-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$7.98
Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT)Fitomics (LabCorp)$3.98$6.00
Hemoglobin (Hb) A1cMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$4.00$5.17
Homocyst(e)ineMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$13.00$22.68
InsulinMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$4.00$7.64
Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1)Fitomics (LabCorp)$13.86$27.00
Iron and Total Iron Binding CapacityFitomics (LabCorp)$4.99$7.00
Leuteinizing Hormone (LH)MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$7.39
LipaseMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$7.85
Lipid Profile w/ Non-HDL CholesterolFitomics (LabCorp)$6.98$8.00
Lipoprotein AFitomics (BioReference)$16.49$20.00
MTHFR Gene, DNA AanalysisFitomics (LabCorp)$108.68$200.00
MagnesiumFitomics (Quest)$3.76$13.00
MolybdenumFitomics (LabCorp)$75.09$158.00
NMR LipoProfileMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$38.00$73.96
OmegaCheckMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$42.00$52.64
ProgesteroneFitomics (LabCorp)$6.99$9.00
ProlactinFitomics (LabCorp)$7.39$9.00
Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA) Total + %FreeMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$13.16
Reverse T3, SerumFitomics (LabCorp)$12.93$27.00
SeleniumMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$12.00$57.30
Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG)MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$8.00$15.04
Thyroglobulin AntibodyMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$8.98
Thyroid Peroixdase (TPO) AntibodiesMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$11.09
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)MyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$5.98
Thyroxine (T4), Free, DirectMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$6.00$6.98
Thyroxine (T4), TotalMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$4.00$5.10
Total Testosterone (LC/MS) & Free Testestosterone (Dialysis) + SHBG - QuestMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$22.00$52.64
Triiodothronine (T3), FreeFitomics (LabCorp)$6.98$10.00
Triiodothronine (T3), TotalMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$5.00$5.64
Vitamin AFitomics (LabCorp)$21.55$30.00
Vitamin B12 and FolateMyBlood.AI (GoodLabs)$10.00$12.93
Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy)Fitomics (LabCorp)$10.50$14.00
 
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In case it matters to you, Rhythm is not a covered entity under HIPAA, whereas Quest is.

And where you order tests to be performed by LabCorp or Quest but that order is placed through a discount online vendor, and that vendor reports results back to you, that vendor typically also isn’t a HIPAA covered entity. Lots of privacy risks depending on the means used to get testing.
 
In case it matters to you, Rhythm is not a covered entity under HIPAA, whereas Quest is.

And where you order tests to be performed by LabCorp or Quest but that order is placed through a discount online vendor, and that vendor reports results back to you, that vendor typically also isn’t a HIPAA covered entity. Lots of privacy risks depending on the means used to get testing.

My results with Fitomics also show up at the website of Quest Diagnostics. Not for LabCorp though, which was months ago.

By the way, Quest is still hounding me down for $57 from 2018. I thought I paid it since it was a pre-paid test I ordered at Quest's website, but the lab tech iust reminded me it is still due. I then looked into it and my FSA reversed the $57 months later. Bastards.
 
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