How to keep blood test results from different labs in one place
Results from a family doctor, a hospital, a direct-to-consumer lab and a testing membership usually end up in four different portals. This guide covers how to collect the original reports, line up test names, units and dates across labs, and choose where the combined history lives.
Short answer: download the original report from each lab or portal when the results are released, keep the files in one archive named by collection date, and enter each result into a single history that records the date, the lab, the value, the unit and the lab's printed reference range. Convert units for comparison but keep the number as reported. A spreadsheet works for a handful of markers. An app that reads lab reports, such as Health3, removes the retyping.
Step 1: Collect the original report from every source
Blood work rarely comes from one place. A primary care visit, a hospital stay, a direct-to-consumer test and a testing membership each release results through their own portal. The usual sources are:
- Lab company portals. In the United States, Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp release results to their own patient portals. See the Quest and Labcorp guides.
- Hospital and clinic portals such as MyChart, where the care organization decides which results appear. See Health3 vs MyChart.
- Direct-to-consumer labs and testing memberships, which usually provide one PDF per test. See the Medichecks, Function Health and InsideTracker guides.
- European lab networks with their own result portals, such as Synlab, Synevo, Regina Maria, Diagnostyka, Cerba and Eurofins.
Some portals keep results online only for a limited time. Synevo access codes, for example, expire after 60 days, and a membership service can close access when the membership ends. Downloading the PDF as soon as results are released avoids losing them later.
Step 2: Keep the originals in one archive
The original laboratory report stays the authoritative copy, whatever else is built from it. A single folder with files named by collection date and lab, for example 2026-03-14 Quest.pdf, is enough. A clear photo of a paper report works as long as the values, units and dates are legible.
The collection date, when the sample was taken, is the date that places a result on a timeline. Reports often also show a received or reported date, which can be days later.
Step 3: Line up the same test across labs
The same measurement can look different from one lab to the next in four ways:
- Name. Labs label tests differently: Free T4, FT4 and “Thyroxine, free” name the same test, and so do HbA1c, Hemoglobin A1c and glycated hemoglobin.
- Unit. US labs mostly report conventional units such as mg/dL and ng/dL. Most European labs report SI units such as mmol/L and pmol/L. The numbers differ even when the measurement is the same.
- Reference range. Each lab sets or adopts a range for its own method and population. A range printed on one report does not carry over to another lab's result.
- Method. Labs can measure the same marker with different methods (assays), and results from different methods are not always interchangeable. When a report names the method, it is worth keeping that note with the result.
Common unit conversions
The table lists name variants and unit conversions for tests that often come from more than one lab. Conversions are mechanical: they change how a number is written, not what it means, and they do not make results from different methods equivalent.
| Test | Names seen on reports | Units | Conversion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thyroid-stimulating hormone | TSH, thyrotropin | mIU/L, µIU/mL | Same number in both units |
| Free thyroxine | Free T4, FT4, “Thyroxine, free” | ng/dL, pmol/L | ng/dL × 12.87 = pmol/L |
| Free triiodothyronine | Free T3, FT3 | pg/mL, pmol/L | pg/mL × 1.536 = pmol/L |
| HbA1c | Hemoglobin A1c, A1C, glycated hemoglobin | % (NGSP), mmol/mol (IFCC) | mmol/mol = (% − 2.15) × 10.929 |
| Glucose | Glucose, fasting glucose | mg/dL, mmol/L | mg/dL × 0.0555 = mmol/L |
| Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol | Cholesterol, total; LDL-C; HDL-C | mg/dL, mmol/L | mg/dL × 0.02586 = mmol/L |
| Triglycerides | Triglycerides, TG | mg/dL, mmol/L | mg/dL × 0.01129 = mmol/L |
| Total testosterone | Testosterone, “Testosterone, total” | ng/dL, nmol/L | ng/dL × 0.0347 = nmol/L |
| Estradiol | Estradiol, E2 | pg/mL, pmol/L | pg/mL × 3.671 = pmol/L |
| Vitamin D | 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D | ng/mL, nmol/L | ng/mL × 2.496 = nmol/L |
| Ferritin | Ferritin | ng/mL, µg/L | Same number in both units |
| Hemoglobin | Hemoglobin, Hb, Hgb | g/dL, g/L | g/dL × 10 = g/L |
| Hematocrit | Hematocrit, Hct | %, L/L | % ÷ 100 = L/L |
Factors for concentration units follow from each substance's molar mass. The HbA1c line is the NGSP and IFCC master equation published by the NGSP. The free blood test unit converter and the HbA1c converter do the arithmetic for other values.
Step 4: Choose where the combined history lives
| Option | Works well for | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Folder of PDFs | Keeping the authoritative originals | No trend view; values stay locked inside documents |
| Spreadsheet | A few markers, full control over the layout | Every result is typed by hand, and names and units are matched by hand |
| Patient portal or Apple Health Clinical Records | Results from connected care organizations | Covers only organizations connected to that portal or to Apple Health; direct-to-consumer labs are often missing |
| A testing membership's app | Results from that service | The history depends on the membership; support for outside results varies |
| A lab results tracker app | Mixed sources and trends over time | Import quality depends on the report; each app covers a different set of markers |
A spreadsheet that holds up over years usually has one row per result with these columns: collection date, lab, test name as printed, a standard name, value, unit, reference range as printed, method (when shown) and notes. The standard-name column is what lets results from different labs line up.
Keeping results from different labs together in Health3
Health3 is a lab results tracker for iOS and Android built for this job. It has no connection to any lab account; results come from the reports themselves.
The 70-second walkthrough below shows the import in the iPhone app with a synthetic demo report: pick the PDF, review the extracted values, confirm the import.
- Import each report in the mobile app as a PDF or a photo. On iOS, supported clinical lab records that are already in Apple Health can be imported as well.
- Compare the extracted names, values, units and test date with the original report, correct or exclude entries, and save.
- Each supported marker joins one history, whichever lab produced it. Compatible units are converted for the chart, so a cholesterol result reported in mg/dL and one reported in mmol/L appear on the same scale, while each saved value keeps the unit it was reported in.
- Export one test, the full history or one topic as a PDF to bring to an appointment.
Health3 covers 300+ biomarkers; the in-app library confirms whether a specific marker is supported. Results outside that set stay in the original report. Other apps do similar work, and the blood test tracking app comparison lists them with dated sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep every lab in one history
Download Health3, import a report from each lab, and follow each marker across providers on one timeline.
Related Pages
Medical Disclaimer: This guide explains how to organize laboratory reports. It does not interpret results and is not medical advice. Health3 is not affiliated with the laboratories or services named here. Read our full Content Standards & Medical Disclaimer.
Check current Health3 support
Health3 product details were updated September 5, 2026. This guide is not a lab partnership or an OCR accuracy certification. See marker coverage, upload limits and review steps, and mobile platforms, plans and data handling. Provider portal instructions may change.