Consumerism and How Clinical Labs Can Take Advantage of a Growing Trend

Editor’s Note: This Industry Insights blog was originally posted on February 27, 2023.

LigoLab CEO Suren Avunjian recently wrote a thought-leadership piece for MedCity Influencers focused on the continued growth of consumerism in healthcare and how clinical laboratories can position themselves for future profitability by expanding into new areas of the care continuum.

Why Now Is the Time for Labs to Embrace Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing

In the article, Avunjian highlighted how advancements in clinical laboratory management and modern medical laboratory information system LIS software technology are creating new growth opportunities for testing organizations, particularly in the direct-to-consumer lab testing space.

Avunjian said the rise of self-service healthcare is here to stay, and the global direct-to-consumer lab testing market is projected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Labs that proactively plan for and invest in this market will be strategically positioned to benefit from this high-revenue opportunity.

Industry Insights: Best Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Platforms: Feature Comparison and Analysis

Preparing Your Organization for the Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Market

Partnering With the Right LIS Software Vendor

How can laboratories position themselves to enter and thrive in the direct-to-consumer lab testing space? The answer is clear: by partnering with innovative laboratory information system vendors that offer scalable, future-ready LIS software solutions, such as the all-in-one LigoLab Informatics Platform, a fully integrated pathology and clinical laboratory management solution that combines advanced laboratory information system functions with modules for laboratory revenue cycle management (lab billing) and direct-to-consumer lab testing workflows.

‍How TestDirectly Opens the DTC Market for Clinical Labs

LigoLab's TestDirectly is a user-friendly online portal that enables clinical labs to enter the direct-to-consumer lab testing market. It supports every step of the direct-to-consumer lab workflow, including digital patient registration, test kit ordering, result delivery, telemedicine, physician approval, and ePrescribing. This all-in-one solution directly connects labs and patients while unlocking new, high-growth revenue opportunities.

Discover More: The Best Laboratory Information System Companies and the Advantages They Offer to Their Laboratory Clients

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The Future of Labs: Digitally-Enabled Care Hubs

Avunjian envisioned a future in which clinical laboratories evolve into digitally enabled care hubs, powered by modern laboratory information system software that seamlessly supports telemedicine and concierge-style patient services.

In the MedCity article, he illustrated this transformation by walking readers through what a reimagined clinical lab experience might look like from the patient's perspective. He concluded by emphasizing that direct-to-consumer lab testing can serve as a protective buffer during uncertain times and that early adopters are already reaping the benefits of this expanded outreach model.

Looking ahead, Avunjian predicted even greater advancements as technologies for patient monitoring and risk stratification continue to strengthen the connection between provider and patient.

Discover More: LigoLab’s Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Portal - An Innovative Solution for an Industry-Wide Problem

TestDirectly Turns Medical LIS Organizations Into Direct-to-Consumer Labs

TestDirectly is a versatile molecular lab software and direct-to-consumer lab testing portal, designed to streamline testing for medical labs and urgent care centers. Developed by LigoLab, the platform offers direct-to-consumer labs a comprehensive and user-friendly diagnostic lab software solution that eliminates traditional barriers such as paper forms, data errors, and reporting delays, making it ideal for a range of direct-to-consumer lab testing scenarios.

What TestDirectly Delivers

Since its launch in 2020, TestDirectly has significantly enhanced patient access and lab efficiency in direct-to-consumer labs by supporting flexible workflows for both diagnostic and preventative screenings. The portal enables automated, secure patient access to test results and consumer lab reports, thereby improving the patient experience and test turnaround times.

Key functionalities include patient self-registration, scheduling, laboratory billing support, and pooled testing, making TestDirectly an efficient and scalable consumer lab reports software solution for labs aiming to enhance service offerings and patient outreach.

Discover More: Highlighting the Versatility of the TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Portal

LigoLab's Integrated Medical LIS System and Laboratory Billing Software Is a Catalyst for Growth

Clinical laboratories and pathology groups are increasingly adopting integrated medical LIS software solutions to enhance efficiency and address common challenges, including data silos, compliance risks, and workflow inefficiencies. When labs use separate LIS systems and laboratory billing platforms, they face operational issues, including data transfer bottlenecks, lack of interoperability, and increased error rates, all of which can delay billing, reduce productivity, and increase compliance risks.

The Advantage of a Unified Medical LIS and Lab Billing Platform

Unified LIS software solutions with integrated lab revenue cycle management provide seamless data flow, enhanced data integrity, and real-time operational insights, benefiting both financial health and regulatory compliance.

A fully integrated laboratory information system improves transparency, streamlines updates, and minimizes training and IT demands by consolidating all tasks into a single platform. As laboratories scale, this all-in-one LIS model supports growth by accommodating larger data volumes, automating lab billing processes, and aligning with regulatory updates, ultimately lowering operational costs and improving patient satisfaction.

Discover More: How to Turn Your Mid-Sized Medical Laboratory into a Thriving Large-Scale Operation

Tiered Pricing With Customized Solutions and Optimal Value for All Medical Labs

LigoLab's tiered pricing enables medical laboratories to select a package that aligns with their specific needs, growth goals, and operational complexity, replacing the one-size-fits-all LIS model and supporting labs of all sizes and types.

LigoLab's Four Pricing Tiers

Essential Tier: A straightforward LIS lab solution ideal for smaller pathology groups and molecular labs focused on essential functionalities.

Professional Tier: Expands on the Essential Tier with advanced analytics, robust integration capabilities, and enhanced tools for streamlined laboratory workflow management.

Advanced Tier: Designed for high-volume labs, delivering top-level efficiency, lab information system automation, and dedicated priority support.

Enterprise Tier: Caters to regional and national laboratories, offering extensive scalability, complete departmental integration, and fully customizable workflows.

Each LigoLab pricing tier serves as a step up in a lab's growth roadmap, enabling smooth progression without requiring a migration to another medical LIS platform.

Discover More: LigoLab Expands Advanced Tier with Integrated Peer Review for Pathology Quality Assurance

Ready to Explore Which LigoLab Tier Fits Your Lab?

Contact a LigoLab product specialist today to explore which tier best fits your laboratory's operational and financial needs.

Contact Us: Connect with a LigoLab Product Specialist!

Frequently Asked Questions About Healthcare Consumerism, Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing, and LigoLab's All-in-One Platform

What is healthcare consumerism, and why does it matter for clinical laboratories?

Healthcare consumerism refers to the shift toward patients taking a more active and informed role in their own healthcare decisions, including seeking diagnostic testing directly without going through a traditional physician referral model. For clinical laboratories, this trend represents a significant growth opportunity, as labs that invest in direct-to-consumer lab testing capabilities can access new revenue streams, expand their patient reach, and reduce dependence on physician order volume during periods of healthcare disruption.

Why is the direct-to-consumer lab testing market such a significant opportunity for clinical labs?

The global direct-to-consumer lab testing market is projected to grow exponentially in the coming years, driven by increasing patient demand for convenience, privacy, and speed in accessing diagnostic results. Labs that enter this market early, with the right technology infrastructure to support self-registration, digital result delivery, telemedicine integration, and flexible collection workflows, will be strategically positioned to capture significant market share before the space becomes more competitive.

What is TestDirectly, and how does it help labs enter the DTC market?

TestDirectly is LigoLab's direct-to-consumer lab testing portal, providing clinical labs with a turnkey solution for patient self-registration, test kit ordering, specimen collection scheduling, result delivery, laboratory billing integration, and pooled testing. It connects directly with LigoLab's LIS system and lab billing modules within the same shared database, ensuring seamless clinical and financial data without requiring separate systems or middleware.

How does integrating lab billing within a LIS system support direct-to-consumer lab growth?

DTC lab testing introduces unique billing scenarios, including patient self-pay, insurance discovery for patients with unknown coverage, real-time eligibility verification, and high-volume claim processing. An integrated LIS system and lab billing platform handles all of these automatically at order inception. The billing cycle begins the moment a patient registers, rather than after testing is completed. This accelerates reimbursement, reduces denials, and gives labs the financial infrastructure needed to scale DTC operations profitably.

What does Suren Avunjian mean when he describes labs evolving into digitally-enabled care hubs?

Avunjian's vision is that modern clinical laboratories will no longer function solely as passive testing facilities receiving physician orders. Instead, they will serve as proactive, patient-facing care hubs that offer telemedicine, concierge testing services, at-home specimen collection, digital access to results, and personalized health monitoring. This transformation requires a modern laboratory information system platform that can natively support these workflows, connecting patients, providers, and laboratory operations within a unified digital ecosystem.

How does LigoLab's tiered pricing make direct-to-consumer and clinical lab growth more accessible?

LigoLab's four-tier pricing model enables labs to start with the functionality they need today and scale seamlessly to higher tiers as their testing volume and operational complexity expand, without ever switching LIS systems. This eliminates the large upfront capital commitments associated with legacy LIS vendors and ensures that labs of all sizes, from emerging DTC start-ups to large regional reference labs, can access enterprise-grade informatics capabilities at a cost aligned with their current business stage.

What does TestDirectly support beyond standard diagnostic testing?

Beyond traditional diagnostic testing, TestDirectly supports preventive health screenings, pooled and surveillance testing for large populations, inventory management, provider-distributed home test kits, at-home self-collection workflows, ePrescribing, physician approval workflows, and telemedicine integration. These capabilities enable laboratories to expand beyond conventional outreach and capitalize on the growing consumer health and wellness market.