Clinical Chemistry Testing in Southern California
Clinical chemistry testing measures the substances dissolved in blood and other body fluids, including electrolytes, enzymes, proteins, lipids and metabolic markers, so your physician can assess how the body’s organs and systems are functioning. Pacific Medical Laboratory performs full chemistry in-house at our CLIA certified facility in Irvine, California, with 95% of routine laboratory results available within 24 hours.
This page is written for referring physicians and practice managers across Southern California, with a patient section near the end. Chemistry is our highest volume department and runs alongside the rest of our core laboratory testing disciplines, so a single requisition can cover chemistry, hematology and coagulation without splitting the order across labs.
What Our Clinical Chemistry Department Covers
Chemistry supports nearly every routine workup a practice orders, from annual physicals to chronic disease monitoring. Our department handles:
- Basic and comprehensive metabolic panels
- Electrolyte and acid base analytes
- Renal function markers including BUN, creatinine and eGFR reporting
- Hepatic function panels including transaminases, bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase
- Lipid panels including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides
- Glucose and diabetes related markers
- Cardiac and inflammatory markers
- Protein, enzyme and mineral studies
- Reference range reporting and delta checks on repeat patient results
Because chemistry analyzers run continuously through the day, adding a chemistry panel to an existing order rarely changes the turnaround your practice is planning around.
Clinical Chemistry Panels We Perform
Comprehensive and Basic Metabolic Panels
The CMP and BMP are the workhorse orders in chemistry. The basic panel reports electrolytes, glucose and kidney markers. The comprehensive panel adds liver enzymes, bilirubin, total protein and albumin. Physicians order them at annual visits, before procedures and when monitoring patients on long term medication.
Liver and Kidney Function Testing
Hepatic panels report transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin and protein markers. Renal panels report BUN, creatinine, electrolytes and calculated eGFR. Both are ordered as standalone panels or as part of a CMP, and both are commonly repeated on a monitoring schedule, which is where consistent instrumentation and stable reference ranges matter.
Lipid Panels
A lipid panel reports total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. It is one of the most frequently repeated tests in primary care, ordered for cardiovascular risk assessment and for tracking a patient’s response to lifestyle or medication changes over time.
Glucose and Diabetes Markers
Fasting glucose and related diabetes markers are ordered for screening, diagnosis support and ongoing management. Specimen handling matters with glucose, so practices should confirm tube type and transport timing with our team, or check the requirements listed in our laboratory test directory.
Cardiac and Inflammatory Markers
Chemistry also covers markers used in cardiac and inflammatory assessment. These are frequently ordered alongside a CBC or ESR, and orders that span both departments are handled on one requisition through our hematology department.
Quality Standards Behind Every Chemistry Result
Pacific Medical Laboratory is CLIA certified, and chemistry testing is overseen by board certified pathologists and laboratory scientists. Analyzers run scheduled quality control across every measured analyte, with calibration verification and documented maintenance on all instrumentation.
Specimen integrity is where most chemistry errors originate, not at the analyzer. Our collection protocols specify tube type, fill volume, handling and transport conditions for each analyte, and specimens that fall outside those conditions are flagged rather than reported. Critical values are called directly to the ordering provider, and your staff reaches a real person at the lab when they call back.
Clinical Chemistry Testing Across Southern California
Chemistry testing is performed at our Irvine headquarters, with specimens arriving from more than 15 draw stations throughout Southern California and from physician practices on scheduled courier routes. Practices can arrange recurring pickups or on call collection depending on their volume and hours.
Patients who cannot travel can have chemistry specimens collected at home through our mobile phlebotomy service, using licensed phlebotomists trained in the handling requirements chemistry analytes depend on. We also receive inbound referral specimens from Washington, Virginia and Nevada.
How Clinical Chemistry Testing Works, Step by Step
Obtain Your Provider's Order
Chemistry testing requires an order from a licensed provider. Your physician selects the panels and individual analytes and issues a requisition, electronically or on paper, specifying exactly what the laboratory will run.
Follow Any Preparation Instructions
Some chemistry tests require fasting, most commonly lipid and glucose panels. Your provider or the collection site will tell you how long to fast and whether water and medications are permitted. If you are unsure, ask before the draw rather than after.
Give Your Sample
A phlebotomist draws blood into the specific tube types each analyte requires. Chemistry orders often need more than one tube because different analytes need different additives. The draw takes a few minutes.
Analysis and Result Delivery
Your specimen is transported to Irvine under controlled conditions, logged in and run on automated chemistry analyzers with quality control verified for each run. Results are released to the ordering provider through the clinician portal, with 95% of routine results available within 24 hours, and patients can view released results in the patient portal.
Clinical Chemistry Testing FAQ's
What does clinical chemistry testing measure?
Clinical chemistry measures the chemical substances in blood and other body fluids, including electrolytes, enzymes, proteins, lipids and metabolic markers. These values give physicians information about organ function and metabolic status. Your physician interprets them against your history, medications and symptoms.
How long do clinical chemistry results take?
95% of routine laboratory results, including standard chemistry panels, are available within 24 hours. Specialized assays may fall into a 3 to 5 business day window. Turnaround for any individual test is listed in our laboratory test directory.
Do I need to fast before a chemistry panel?
Fasting is required for some chemistry tests, most commonly lipid and glucose panels, but not for all of them. Your provider will tell you whether your specific order requires it and for how long. Follow the instructions given for your full requisition, since one order can combine fasting and non fasting tests.
What is the difference between a basic and a comprehensive metabolic panel?
A basic metabolic panel reports electrolytes, glucose and kidney markers, while a comprehensive panel adds liver enzymes, bilirubin, total protein and albumin. Your physician chooses between them based on what is being evaluated. The collection process is the same for both.
Can my practice send chemistry specimens to Pacific Medical Laboratory?
Yes. Practices across Southern California send chemistry specimens to our Irvine laboratory through scheduled or on call courier pickup. Offerings are customized per practice, including requisition setup, pickup timing and result delivery. Contact our team to set up an account.
Choosing a Clinical Chemistry Testing Partner in Southern California
labs is rarely the menu and almost always the handling, the turnaround and whether anyone picks up the phone. Pacific Medical Laboratory offers the expansive test menu you would expect from a national reference lab, performed in house under CLIA certification with pathologist oversight.
To set up an account, arrange courier pickup or ask about a specific analyte, contact our team in Irvine. Ordering details and specimen requirements are in our test directory, and patients who cannot travel can arrange an at home blood draw.