Is Function Health worth it?

Function Health is a well-built product for people who want broad biomarker visibility in a self-service format. It's a complete fit if you want a comprehensive panel with an app dashboard and you have other resources for the clinical interpretation and treatment side. If you want labs combined with an ongoing physician relationship, prescription pathway, and follow-up monitoring, a direct primary care or concierge practice can offer a different model at a similar price point.

Why does direct primary care lab pricing differ from consumer lab pricing?

The price differences reflect different business models, not different lab work. Direct primary care and concierge practices contract with major reference labs at wholesale rates through services like Atlas.md. Consumer-facing portals bundle different services — online ordering without a physician, direct payment, no insurance billing — and their pricing reflects that bundle. Subscription panel companies add a software platform and curated experience on top. All of these models can be the right fit for different needs.

What labs should I get for longevity testing?

The core longevity panel includes a CBC, comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel with Apolipoprotein B, HS-CRP, Hemoglobin A1c, Vitamin D 25-OH, Testosterone, TSH and Free T4, Insulin, Ferritin, Vitamin B12, and Folate — roughly 15 tests. Each one drives a specific clinical decision (statin? TRT? thyroid Rx? iron infusion?). Tests beyond this list rarely change management for the average patient.

How much do longevity labs cost at Private MD?

Our annual longevity panel runs $149 for Direct Primary Care members and is included as a benefit of Concierge Longevity membership ($349/month). Both rates pass through wholesale Quest pricing with minimal markup. For comparison, the same panel costs $385-449 directly from Quest, $339 from InsideTracker, $250 effective from Function Health, or $700-1,250 effective from Wild Health.

How does prescription access fit into different testing models?

Consumer subscription panels like Function Health and InsideTracker are primarily data products. They may offer optional physician consultations as add-ons, but they aren't built around an ongoing prescribing relationship. If your labs reveal something that warrants a prescription — low testosterone, vitamin D deficiency, elevated ApoB, or similar — you'll typically take the results to a separate physician. Direct primary care and concierge models bundle the labs, physician interpretation, prescription pathway, and follow-up monitoring into the membership. Different models serve different needs.

Working Physician Evidence-Based Published 2026-05-15

How to Think About Longevity Labs in 2026

Q: Does the evidence base support comprehensive 100+ biomarker screening?

Routine screening recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cover a more focused set of labs than what's typically included in broad consumer panels. Many of the additional markers in comprehensive panels carry a Grade I (insufficient evidence) or Grade D (recommend against routine screening) rating from USPSTF. This doesn't mean those markers are never useful — they can be highly relevant in targeted clinical workups — but the evidence base for testing them in asymptomatic adults as part of routine screening is limited.

Function Health, InsideTracker, and Quest Direct all offer comprehensive consumer lab panels. They're real services serving real demand. At Private MD we take a narrower approach — a 15-marker panel chosen for clinical actionability, included in a physician relationship — and we want to walk through how the two models compare so you can pick the one that fits your situation.

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Why lab pricing varies so much in the market

One of the most confusing parts of shopping for longevity labs is the wide price range. The same comprehensive panel might cost $123 through a direct primary care contract, $149 through a concierge practice's member rate, $385 through a consumer-facing Quest portal, $499 through Function Health, or $200-800 in an insurance-billed primary care setting. The labs themselves are often run at the same major reference lab — Quest, LabCorp, or Mayo. So why the spread?

The pricing reflects different business models, not different lab work. A few drivers:

Direct primary care and concierge practices contract with Quest or LabCorp at wholesale rates through services like Atlas.md. We pay the lab company a contracted rate for each test and pass that through to members with minimal markup — typically 10-30% to cover administrative cost.
Consumer-facing portals like questhealth.com bundle in different services — online ordering without a physician, direct-to-consumer support, payment processing, no insurance billing infrastructure to maintain. Their pricing reflects those services as much as the test itself.
Subscription panel companies like Function Health and InsideTracker layer a software platform, app experience, AI-generated commentary, and a brand on top of the lab work. Their pricing reflects the platform, not just the labs.
Insurance-billed primary care typically negotiates rates with payers, and patient cost depends on plan, deductible, and copay. The "wellness" label often triggers denial, leaving patients on the hook for retail-equivalent pricing.

None of these models is wrong. They're built for different jobs. The job we're built for is ongoing physician relationships at sustainable cost — and the wholesale contract model is what makes that economically possible.

Why panel size doesn't equal panel value

Panel size has become a popular way for consumer lab companies to differentiate. 100+ biomarkers. 200+ biomarkers. The implicit framing is that more data is more medicine. There's something to this — for people who want broad metabolic visibility, those panels deliver a lot of information in one place.

But the connection between number of markers and clinical decisions is weaker than it might appear. A typical 100-marker consumer panel includes many tests that fall into a few categories:

Detailed metabolic and amino acid profiles. Alanine, glycine, serine, and similar amino acids are interesting metabolic readouts but rarely change routine adult care unless there's a specific clinical concern.
Environmental exposure markers. Mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium. These have real clinical value when there's a relevant exposure history. For asymptomatic adults without known exposure, they don't usually drive treatment decisions.
Hormone metabolite breakdowns. DHEA-S, pregnenolone, estrogen metabolites, and similar markers. Occasionally useful in targeted workups; rarely the basis for routine prescribing.
Reverse T3 and extended thyroid markers. Reverse T3 in particular is popular in functional medicine but has a weaker evidence base for routine use. The American Thyroid Association does not recommend routine reverse T3 testing for most patients.
Genetic and pharmacogenomic markers. MTHFR, APOE, COMT and similar variants. These can be interesting and are well-marketed, but interpretation is often uncertain and they rarely produce specific prescribing recommendations on their own.
Multiple inflammation markers. CRP, hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha, ESR. Useful at the right time, but most patients only need one screening marker rather than five.
Standard panel components counted individually. A CBC produces about a dozen reportable values (hemoglobin, hematocrit, RDW, MCV, MCH, MCHC, MPV, platelet count, and the white cell differential), and a comprehensive metabolic panel produces another dozen or so. These show up as separate biomarkers in marketing counts but come from two standard tests.

Of the 100+ markers in a typical comprehensive consumer panel, roughly 20-25 are the ones most likely to drive a clinical decision for a routine adult patient. The rest add detail without usually changing treatment. That's not a criticism of the model — for someone who wants the full picture and is comfortable interpreting it themselves or working with a clinician separately, broad panels can be the right choice. We've simply chosen the narrower, action-focused approach.

What the evidence base actually recommends

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is the closest thing American medicine has to an unbiased referee on what's worth screening for. They grade screening tests A through I (A and B recommended; C neutral; D recommended against; I insufficient evidence).

Most of the additional biomarkers that pad consumer longevity panels carry a Grade I (insufficient evidence) or Grade D (recommend against routine screening). The USPSTF's Grade A and B recommendations cover a surprisingly narrow set of tests — and our panel covers the ones relevant to longevity-focused adults.

There's a parallel initiative called Choosing Wisely, a campaign launched in 2012 by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. Specialty societies publish lists of tests and procedures clinicians and patients should question. The Society of General Internal Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians all have lists discouraging routine biomarker screening beyond what's evidence-supported.

Why does this matter? Because each additional lab test carries a 3–5% false-positive rate. Run 100 markers, and on average you'll get 3–5 results flagged as abnormal that aren't actually disease — just statistical noise. Each false alarm triggers anxiety, follow-up testing, sometimes imaging, sometimes specialist visits. The $499 panel routinely turns into $2,500 of downstream workup that didn't need to happen.

There's a name for this in clinical medicine: worried-well syndrome. Healthy adults walk out of comprehensive screening clutching a sheet of flagged numbers, none of which represent actual disease, all of which feel like reasons to be anxious. Subclinical abnormalities get treated as problems requiring intervention. We start treating numbers instead of patients.

The 15 labs that actually change treatment

Here's the panel we run for our members, and the specific clinical decision each one drives:

Complete Blood Count (CBC). Screens for anemia, infection, polycythemia (a real concern in men on testosterone therapy), and other hematologic conditions. Changes TRT monitoring, anemia workup, infection diagnosis.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP). Kidney function (creatinine, eGFR), liver function (AST, ALT), electrolytes, blood glucose. Drives drug dose adjustments, diabetes screening, organ-function baseline.
Lipid panel with Apolipoprotein B. ApoB is now considered a better cardiovascular risk marker than LDL alone. Drives statin and PCSK9 inhibitor decisions, cardiovascular risk stratification.
HS-CRP. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Measures residual inflammation associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk. Informs aggressive risk management decisions.
Hemoglobin A1c. Three-month average blood glucose. Diabetes diagnosis, pre-diabetes screening, GLP-1 candidacy assessment.
Vitamin D 25-OH. Deficiency is common; replacement is simple and evidence-supported for bone health and other endpoints. Direct prescription decision.
Testosterone (Total). Hypogonadism diagnosis and TRT monitoring. Specific prescription decision.
TSH + Free T4. Thyroid function. Drives thyroid hormone replacement decisions.
Free T3. Added only when symptoms suggest peripheral conversion issues. Refines thyroid Rx in selected cases.
Insulin. Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome screening before diabetes develops. Drives lifestyle intensity and GLP-1 candidacy.
Ferritin. Iron stores. Drives iron infusion candidacy for patients with iron deficiency anemia (postpartum, heavy menses, GI losses).
Vitamin B12. Deficiency screening. Drives IM replacement decisions, neurological workup if low.
Folate. Often paired with B12. Replacement decisions.
Urinalysis. Kidney function screening, urinary tract infection detection.

Every test on this list can produce a specific prescription, infusion, replacement therapy, or intervention. That's not a marketing claim — that's the criterion we used to build the panel.

What you actually pay, side by side

Here's the same 15-test panel — or its closest comparable equivalent — across the longevity testing market:

Quest Comprehensive Men's Panel (direct consumer): $385
Quest Elite Health Profile (direct consumer): $449
InsideTracker Pro (43 markers, no physician): $339
Function Health (100+ markers, 2 panels/year, no physician): $499/year = $250/panel effective
Wild Health (concierge bundle with DNA + lifestyle): $1,400–2,500/year
Hone Health (TRT-focused, mailed kit): $125 panel + $129/month for TRT
Standard PCP with insurance: $200–800 copay, often denied if labels say "wellness"
Private MD member panel: $149
Private MD Concierge membership ($349/month): annual panel included

The numbers stand on their own. For pure cost-per-biomarker, Function Health does well — they bundle a lot of labs into the annual price. For an ongoing physician relationship with the labs built in, our member rate and Concierge model are competitively priced against the other options in this category.

Labs as the start of a relationship, not the whole product

Function Health, InsideTracker, and the consumer Quest portal sell a lab data product — a panel, a PDF or dashboard, and in some cases an algorithm-generated interpretation. That's a complete product for people who want broad biomarker visibility and who plan to bring the results to a clinician separately, or interpret them on their own.

At Private MD, the labs are the start of a relationship. You bring us the numbers; we interpret them in the context of your history, goals, and exam findings; we write the prescription if it's indicated; we monitor at three, six, and twelve months; we adjust as needed. The labs are part of the medicine. The medicine is what we sell.

This matters most for the conditions where labs reveal something actionable:

Low testosterone in men — needs proper workup, monitoring of estradiol and hematocrit, prescription pathway, ongoing dose titration. See our TRT program.
Elevated ApoB or cardiovascular risk — needs lifestyle counseling, possible statin or PCSK9 inhibitor, ongoing cardiovascular monitoring. See conditions we treat.
Pre-diabetes or insulin resistance — needs intensive lifestyle support, possible GLP-1 candidacy, recheck cadence. See our weight management program.
Iron deficiency anemia — needs IV iron infusion candidacy assessment, often underserved in primary care.
Perimenopause or menopause — needs hormone replacement consideration, individualized regimen, ongoing adjustment. See our HRT program.
Thyroid dysfunction — needs replacement therapy decision, dose titration, retest cadence.

None of these conditions are solved by a 100-marker PDF.

What this looks like at Private MD

Practically, here's the experience for a new member curious about longevity testing:

Visit 1: A 60-minute initial evaluation with Dr. Sahni — history, goals, exam, labs ordered. The lab draw can be done locally in Folsom (we partner with a Folsom-based RN-led wellness facility for convenient blood draws and any indicated IV support during the visit).
Results review: Within 48 hours of the labs returning, we sit down (in person or telehealth) and walk through every result. Not a PDF — a conversation. What it means, what it changes, what we do next.
Prescription, if indicated. Sent same day to a pharmacy.
Follow-up cadence: Typically 3 months, 6 months, then annually. Retest labs at each milestone, adjust treatment as needed.
Between visits: Direct physician communication for questions, concerns, dose adjustments, and care coordination.

This is the difference between testing as a transaction and testing as part of a relationship. We've built our practice around the second model because, in our view, it's where the actual medicine happens.

What we offer, plainly

A 15-marker annual longevity panel for $149 — less than most subscription panel companies charge for a single retest. The same labs drawn locally in Folsom, not in a Quest waiting room or by mail. A board-certified internist who reads them with you in person, writes the prescription if it's indicated, and stays in the relationship through 3-month, 6-month, and annual follow-up.

If you're a Concierge member, the annual panel is included with the $349/month membership, additional labs run at wholesale plus a small administrative markup all year, and the physician relationship is the heart of the membership — not an add-on.

That's the offer. If it fits what you're looking for, the next step is a free 15-minute call to see whether the practice and the patient match up.

Ready to talk?

Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call. We'll talk through your situation, answer questions about the panel and the membership models, and figure out together whether this is the right fit.

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Or email drsahni@privatemd.clinic · (279) 258-5567

About the author

Nishant Sahni, MD is a board-certified internist and the founder of Private MD, a small-panel direct primary care and concierge longevity practice serving Granite Bay, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, and the greater Sacramento area. Former faculty at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, he focuses on evidence-based longevity medicine — small-panel relationships, real workups, and prescribing decisions grounded in current guidelines.

This article reflects current pricing as of May 2026 and references publicly available pricing for Quest Diagnostics direct-to-consumer offerings, Function Health, InsideTracker, Wild Health, and Hone Health. Atlas.md wholesale pricing is from the May 2026 Tier 1 contracted rate schedule. Clinical guidance reflects USPSTF screening recommendations and Choosing Wisely guidance as of publication date. This article is for educational purposes; it is not a substitute for individualized medical advice.

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Legal & Editorial Notes

Educational content only. This article is for educational and informational purposes. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations for any specific individual. Reading this article does not establish a physician-patient relationship with Dr. Sahni or Private MD.

Not a substitute for individual evaluation. Medical decisions should be made in consultation with your own physician based on your specific clinical situation, history, exam findings, and goals. Information in this article may not apply to your circumstances. If you have specific symptoms or health concerns, consult a qualified medical professional.

Cited data and pricing. Studies, statistics, and prices cited reflect publicly available information as of the date of publication (2026-05-15). Information changes over time. Verify current data with primary sources or your physician before making decisions.

No financial relationships, no endorsement. Mention of specific products, companies, services, or commercial entities is for illustrative comparison only and does not constitute endorsement. Private MD receives no compensation, commission, kickback, or referral fee from any vendor, manufacturer, laboratory, or commercial entity mentioned in this article.

Pricing accuracy. Competitor pricing cited is from publicly available sources at the date of publication. Programs differ in scope, included services, and care models. Pricing is subject to change and should be verified directly with each program. This comparison is for educational orientation, not a representation of clinical equivalence between programs.