Expand Laboratory Services to the Home and Improve Patient Engagement with New Direct-to-Consumer Business Models

The rapid adoption of digital technologies and the growth of patient consumerism are two trends in healthcare that are here to stay, and the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated this trend by three to five years.

This is welcome news for diagnostic laboratories that are willing to break away from the traditional way of doing business. By embracing fresh ideas and new revenue streams, and by aligning themselves with like-minded laboratory information system (LIS) software vendors, these progressive labs can become direct-to-consumer labs, offering expanded services and ultimately improved patient care, all while becoming market leaders and more profitable.

Patients are increasingly becoming more active participants in their healthcare, so labs must adapt by becoming direct-to-consumer labs and offer direct-to-consumer lab testing that makes it easier for the patient to test directly with them. 

TestDirectly, developed by LigoLab Information Systems, does just that. The direct-to-consumer lab testing web portal integrates with all lab information systems and simplifies the collection, testing, and reporting of specimen samples. It does this by replacing paper forms and manual processes with an electronic workflow that eliminates the potential for human errors, order entry bottlenecks, and reporting delays. 

TestDirectly empowers the patient and the testing laboratory. The flexible portal features lightweight laboratory information system functionality, and it supports patient and family self-registration and scheduling, capacity management, specimen collection, and specimen tracking and processing. It also covers laboratory billing and compliance, and it supports automated TestDirectly results time deliveries via email, SMS text, web portal, or interface. It even automates reporting to public health departments and agencies in every state. 

"Test Directly" is more than just a name for LigoLab's direct-to-consumer lab testing solution, it also represents a transformative moment for the LIS company and its lab customers.

TestDirectly was in the early stages of development even before the pandemic hit, and the direct-to-consumer lab testing platform took off in May of 2020 when Northwest Laboratory (now known as Avero Diagnostics) added it to its operations to quickly boost testing capacity and improve direct-to-consumer lab testing turnaround times. Like most labs at that time, Avero needed a streamlined molecular lab software solution to address the order entry and follow-up bottlenecks caused by a rapid increase in SARS-CoV-2 testing demand.

Adding capacity and improving TAT were critical elements that enabled the lab to secure a contract with the Florida Department of Health. The contract called for COVID-19 baseline testing for all of the state’s 4,000 long-term care facilities, and direct-to-consumer lab testing included both senior residents and staff. Thanks to strong lab leadership and the many advantages gained by using both TestDirectly and TestDirectly.com, Avero was not only able to implement the platform, but also collect, process, and deliver 190,000 consumer lab reports, all in just four weeks. 

Since those early days of the pandemic, TestDirectly and its network of laboratories and collection centers throughout the U.S. have enabled patients to test directly while they've collected, processed, and reported millions of COVID-19 cases. 

The original idea behind the development of TestDirectly as a solution for direct-to-consumer lab testing and consumer lab reports was to give labs more visibility with patients and open up new lines of revenue. This was to be done by supporting all forms of diagnostic testing and preventive screening. Now, with highly effective vaccines readily available and the demand for COVID-19 testing at a low level, labs like Avero can once again turn their attention to other forms of direct-to-consumer lab testing. 

They can also leverage TestDirectly results time via a new home test kit collection workflow to create an even stronger bond with their patients.

TestDirectly and TestDirectly.com now support the ordering and shipping of test kits to patients, the laboratory’s receipt of patient samples after specimen collection, and the automated delivery of consumer lab reports back to the patients.

Test Directly at Home - What Our Home Testing Kit Solution Supports:

• Site branding with customized images and verbiage
• The mapping of symptoms to ICD-10 codes
• The customization of “ask on order entry” questions
• The upload of patient documentation (insurance card, photo ID)
• All forms of payment, including credit card
• Email order confirmation
• Order and courier tracking at every stage
• The printing of courier shipping and return labels
• The printing of specimen labels
• Email and/or SMS text notification of test results
• Downloadable and printable result reports 

LigoLab's Complete Software Solution for All Laboratory Informatics 

With LigoLab Informatics Platform and TestDirectly direct-to-consumer lab testing , labs gain more than an experienced LIS company, they also gain a business partner that aligns with their business goals and understands their pain points. Through rapid software development, LigoLab provides innovative LIS software solutions that improve operational workflow, reduce labor costs, remove barriers to growth, and enable lab customers to test directly with their patients.  

To learn more about our LIS company and how it enables laboratories to differentiate themselves in the marketplace, scale their operations, and become more profitable, contact us and schedule a brief call with one of our laboratory information system experts.

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