A full medical assessment · Zurich HB and Baar
The Baseline
Not a test. The starting point everything else is measured from. A detailed first consultation, a laboratory profile across four axes, a review consultation — and a written report you keep.
CHF 1,800 · laboratory included · one tier, no add-ons
Starting point
Anyone can measure now.
The question is who reads it.
There are good panels now. Some measure more values than ours. ApoB, Lp(a), fasting insulin and a full thyroid profile are no longer exotic, and anyone comparing on count alone will always find something larger.
What is almost universally missing is the step after: someone reading the values together, weighing them against each other, deciding what gets addressed first — and putting their name to it.
An example. A ferritin of 45 reads as normal in almost every laboratory. Alongside a raised hs-CRP, that same value can conceal an empty iron store, because ferritin rises as an acute-phase protein during inflammation. The same number, two completely different meanings — and the difference decides whether someone stays tired for months. No panel notices this. It isn't in a line; it's between two of them.
So with The Baseline the report is the product, not the marker list. The laboratory profile is chosen to answer the questions a baseline assessment actually raises — four axes rather than maximum breadth. The fiftieth marker does not replace an assessment.
At a glance
- Price
- CHF 1,800, laboratory included
- Appointments
- two, around two weeks apart
- First consultation
- 60 minutes
- Review consultation
- 45 minutes
- Laboratory results
- usually 5–10 working days
- Outcome
- a written report to keep
The laboratory profile
Four axes.
Assembled to answer questions, not to maximise the count. Each axis answers its own.
1 · Metabolism — still working efficiently, or already compensating?
Fasting insulin — often rises years before blood glucose becomes abnormal. The single value most frequently missing.
Fasting glucose — the standard value. On its own it reports the problem late.
HbA1c — the average of the past eight to twelve weeks.
Triglycerides relative to HDL — a simple, robust proxy for insulin sensitivity.
Uric acid — closely linked to insulin resistance, blood pressure and fructose intake.
2 · Cardiovascular — what is the risk beyond cholesterol?
ApoB — counts the number of atherogenic particles, not the cholesterol inside them. Two people with identical LDL can have very different ApoB.
Lp(a) — genetically determined and largely constant for life. Measuring once is enough, but it should be measured once.
hs-CRP — silent inflammation. It also changes how ferritin has to be read.
Homocysteine — rises with B12, folate or B6 deficiency and is an independent vascular marker.
3 · Hormones — is the thyroid genuinely unremarkable?
TSH — measures the signalling, not the thyroid itself. The value most often measured alone.
fT3 — the biologically active hormone.
fT4 — the precursor from which fT3 is produced.
TPO antibodies — indicate an autoimmune process, frequently years before function measurably declines.
4 · Cofactors — is something missing that limits energy and recovery?
Ferritin, in the context of hs-CRP — the iron store. Inflammation raises ferritin and can conceal an empty store, which is why it is never assessed in isolation.
Vitamin D — relevant to bone, immune function and muscle strength.
Vitamin B12 with folate — measured together, because a high folate can mask a B12 deficiency.
Zinc — involved in immune function, wound healing, skin and hormone metabolism.
Omega-3 index — the proportion of EPA and DHA in the red cell membrane. More informative than any dietary estimate.
Liver values (ALT, AST, GGT) — a raised ALT today more often reflects fatty liver than alcohol.
Kidney values (creatinine, eGFR) — filtration capacity, also as a safety boundary for later measures.
Depending on your history, age and question, individual values are added or left out. What gets measured in your case is decided at the first consultation — the price stays the same.
The service
What is included.
The first consultation, 60 minutes. Functional questionnaire, full history, clinical examination, blood pressure and body composition. This is also where we decide which values actually make sense in your case.
The laboratory profile. All four axes, included in the price. No additional charge, no surprise on the invoice.
The review consultation, 45 minutes. What the values mean, what connects, what gets addressed first.
The Baseline report. The actual product: the mechanism in plain language, the measures in the order in which they work, the target ranges and the timing of the next check.
In context
A list of values, and an assessment.
| Usual check-up | The Baseline |
|---|---|
| Values inside the reference range count as unremarkable | Values read in context and weighted |
| A single TSH as thyroid assessment | TSH, fT3, fT4 and antibodies |
| Cholesterol as vascular risk | ApoB and Lp(a) |
| Blood glucose alone | Fasting insulin, HbA1c, TG/HDL |
| A list of values with arrows | A written, worded report |
| A short debrief | 60 minutes first consultation, 45 minutes review |
Indication
When it makes sense – and when it doesn't.
It makes sense if you …
- want a complete assessment before changing anything
- have been tired or less capable for some time despite unremarkable standard results
- have a family history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes
- are approaching or going through hormonal transition
- need a baseline against which later changes can actually be measured
Not the right route if …
- you have acute symptoms — those belong in a regular assessment first
- it is an emergency
- you already have current results and only the interpretation is missing; the second opinion is cheaper and faster
- you are under active specialist care that should continue there
- you are looking for confirmation of a view you have already formed
To be clear
What this is not.
- Not a whole-body screen. We measure in a targeted way, not maximally. More markers is not more insight.
- Not a sales pitch for supplements. If a preparation makes sense we say so. If not, we say that too — and we assess what you can stop taking.
- Not a subscription. No membership, no minimum term, no obligation to book follow-ups.
- Not a substitute for an insured assessment. Where one is indicated, we arrange it through basic health insurance.
- Not a biological age. We do not issue a number that promises more than the measurement supports.
Process
Two appointments, one document.
First consultation
60 minutes: history, examination, blood pressure, body composition. The laboratory profile is then defined.
Blood draw
Fasting, at the practice. Results are usually available within five to ten working days.
Review consultation
45 minutes: what was found, what it means, what gets addressed first.
The report
Written and worded, with target ranges and the timing of the next check. Your document.
Costs
One price. One tier.
| The Baseline · first consultation, laboratory, review, written report | CHF 1,800 |
| Not included: follow-up monitoring, extended specialist analyses, imaging, infusions | separate items |
The Baseline is a private service. You receive an itemised invoice suitable for submission to your supplementary insurance (Zusatzversicherung). Some policies contribute to preventive services; whether and how much depends on your contract and is to be clarified directly with your insurer. Reimbursement is neither promised nor verified by the practice.
Two lanes, never mixed. Anything medically indicated is never billed privately. If you come with concrete symptoms, the assessment runs in the regular way through basic health insurance and you pay your deductible. If The Baseline reveals a medically indicated need for further investigation, that also runs through basic health insurance — separately, and not on top of the CHF 1,800.
Frequently asked
Good to know.
What does The Baseline cost?
CHF 1,800. One price, one tier, no add-ons. The laboratory profile is included.
Why not simply a panel with a hundred markers?
Because the number is not what decides. There are broader panels than ours and some are very good. The difference is that the values are read together, weighted and put into an order — and that a physician stands behind it by name. A panel does not read itself.
Will my health insurance cover it?
The Baseline is a private service. You receive an itemised invoice for submission to your supplementary insurance. Whether and how much they contribute depends on your contract and is to be clarified directly with your insurer.
I have specific symptoms — do I need The Baseline?
Not necessarily. Symptoms are assessed in the regular way first, through basic health insurance. The Baseline is the next step when standard assessment does not see far enough.
How long does it take?
Two appointments roughly two weeks apart, with the blood draw in between. Results are usually available within five to ten working days.
I already have results. Is The Baseline still worth it?
Often not straight away. If you have current values and only the interpretation is missing, the second opinion on a check-up is the cheaper and faster route. If that reveals a gap, The Baseline can follow.
What do I receive at the end?
A written report: what was found, what it means, what to do in which order, and when to re-check.
The point everything else is measured from.
CHF 1,800, laboratory included. Zurich HB and, on selected dates, Baar.
The Baseline is a private medical service and is not billed through Swiss basic health insurance. Medically indicated investigations and treatments are unaffected and continue to be billed in the regular way through basic health insurance. This page does not replace a medical consultation. In case of acute symptoms please contact your general practitioner or emergency services.
