Blog
Highlighting the Versatility of the TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Portal
April 15, 2024
TestDirectly is an easy-to-implement and use direct-to-consumer lab testing web portal that provides turnkey testing solutions for medical laboratories and urgent care centers. It’s a versatile game-changing DTC tool that empowers patients, supports all forms of direct-to-consumer diagnostic testing and preventative screening, and eliminates traditional provider barriers like paper forms, data entry errors, and processing and lab reporting delays.
TestDirectly (TestDirectly.com) is the latest innovation from LigoLab Information Systems, an award-winning provider of enterprise-grade laboratory information system software for clinical laboratories and pathology groups, and the driving force behind the all-in-one LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Informatics Platform, considered to be the most comprehensive and flexible LIS system and laboratory billing (lab revenue cycle management) solution available.
“TestDirectly serves as a platform for enhanced and specialized laboratory services,” said LigoLab CEO, Suren Avunjian. “The portal enables laboratories to gain visibility and grow their operation and brand while delivering what patients want, and that’s a streamlined and unified experience.”
Since its first release in the spring of 2020, TestDirectly has significantly improved both the patient experience and test turnaround times, enabling millions of patients to conveniently order tests and directly receive their results for a wide range of direct-to-consumer lab testing (COVID-19, sexually transmitted infection, urinary tract infection, wound, fungal, viral, respiratory, toxicology, allergy, genetic, etc.).
TestDirectly was there when the Covid pandemic necessitated new and better ways to quickly and safely collect and process specimens, and report accurate test results. Since then it’s evolved into a flexible lab tool that supports a whole host of direct-to-consumer lab testing scenarios, including drive-through, walk-up, concierge, business-organizational, school districts - universities, government agencies, travel, pooled - surveillance, provider test kit, and home test kit.
Patient Access to Reports
TestDirectly offers flexible and secure methods for patients to access lab test results, enhancing the patient experience with straightforward digital tools. Each testing scenario incorporates direct access capabilities, complete with email and text notifications that guide patients through the workflow.
Here are the three ways to access test results:
- Existing Accounts: Patients with pre-existing TestDirectly accounts can log in to view their results.
- New Accounts: New users can create an account using the email address provided during the sample collection process.
- Direct URL Access: For immediate access without registering patients can click on a dedicated link. This link directs them to a secure page where they enter an access key, order ID, and date of birth to validate their identity.
Regardless of the chosen method, patients can view, download, and print their reports, ensuring they can easily manage their health information.
On-Site Testing Scenario
The TestDirectly on-site and drive-through testing scenario was a vital link between the patient and the provider during COVID-19 surges and continues to be a very effective way to collect specimens at scale safely and in an organized way. Here’s an example of a drive-through collection and reporting workflow. The example highlights the portal’s patient self-registration/self-scheduling features plus email and SMS notification functionality when patient results are ready for review.
Walk-up Testing Scenario
TestDirectly supports walk-up testing, a workflow that accommodates patients without having them pre-register or pre-schedule for a direct-to-consumer lab test. This testing scenario features TestDirectly’s Quickform registration, and it works extremely well for mobile testing sites, PSCs, and urgent care centers. All that’s required from the patient is a scan of a QR code with a mobile device to access the Quickform and start the workflow.
Concierge Testing Scenario
TestDirectly supports concierge testing service, enabling a medical professional such as a phlebotomist or nurse to visit a patient’s residence to collect a specimen. Like all TestDirectly workflows, this testing scenario supports all forms of payment and accepts uploads of payment and insurance information during the order process. Once a collection has been ordered and scheduled, the appointment appears in the TestDirectly scheduled orders queue, providing easy access and a clear understanding of what’s on the schedule (and when).
Event and Organizational Testing Scenario
TestDirectly is a great tool for managing event/organizational testing programs. Implementing a large-scale testing program from the ground up is both difficult and costly, and it doesn’t have to be. With TestDirectly, organizers gain a high level of customization and access control based on the need, the size of the event/organization, and the location, plus the visibility to order, access, and track employee/attendee results for compliance reporting.
School District - University Testing Scenario
TestDirectly is both easy to learn and intuitive, making it a perfect choice for school district and university testing scenarios, where several stakeholders are involved and safe in-person learning and parent/guardian peace of mind are the goals. When done properly, an organized and scalable testing program managed by the flexible portal can save thousands of educational hours and give administrators access control to see test results by facility, staff, students, or any other attribute. For direct-to-consumer laboratories in particular, TestDirectly enables them to increase their volumes and support these testing programs without sacrificing turnaround times.
Government Agency Testing Scenario
TestDirectly supports multi-facility onsite testing campaigns and batch orders, two big pluses for a large entity like a government agency. It also supports the creation of organization users, giving them specific credentials to create orders and view results based on administrative access controls.
Travel Testing Scenario
For those who need to access and share their current health status for travel, TestDirectly provides an easy solution. The web portal is integrated with the SMART Health Card Framework, a third-party verification tool that supports digital versions of clinical information that can be immediately displayed via a QR code to prove that a patient has been vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19. With this integration, patients with a TestDirectly account can conveniently share their health status.
Pooled - Surveillance Testing Scenario
TestDirectly supports pooled/surveillance testing, a workflow where multiple specimen samples are collected from several patients and then pooled together as one combined collection. This form of testing is an economically effective and efficient way to quickly gather and document the overall health of a large designated population. If the pooled sample tests negative, the entire group of patients is considered negative. If the pooled sample tests positive, individual diagnostic tests are then conducted as a reflex to determine the source of the virus detected in the original pooled sample.
Provider Test Kit Scenario
With TestDirectly, shipping home test kits from the provider to any location in the United States is now possible. In this testing scenario, the provider benefits from a specialized service that creates a new revenue source, and the patient gets what he or she wants. This is an easy and convenient way for the patient to have a specimen collected at home and then shipped to the laboratory for processing, complete with specimen tube labels and return shipping labels. TestDirectly helps to manage the distribution of the kits, the fulfillment of the orders, and the delivery of the electronic result report.
Home Test Kit Scenario
Patients can buy a home testing kit from a retailer and then register the kit with a unique identifier. The identifier will then link the patient order with the specimen as it’s scanned in at the lab. Beyond that, the patient fills out basic information on the Quickform which is then electronically transferred to the lab in anticipation of the specimen's arrival for processing. Insurance documents can also be uploaded in this scenario, and all payment forms are accepted. TestDirectly automatically sends the patient notification (via email or text) when results are available for review.
Vaccination Workflow
TestDirectly supports vaccination scheduling, enabling patients to choose when and where to have their appointment. Providers can track inventory by selecting the vaccine type, adding a lot number, and adding a start and expiration date. They are also able to conveniently create a follow-up appointment during the check-in process, with this triggering an automated email that’s sent to the patient with the follow-up appointment details, including the minimum and maximum days that must elapse before the follow-up vaccination appointment can occur (example: Dose 1 and 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine). TestDirectly can also electronically populate dynamic labels and record cards with whatever details are applicable for the type of vaccine (such as date received, area of the body it was administered to, etc.).
Webinar: Expanding Lab Services and Adding Revenue
Is your laboratory seeking innovative strategies to enhance its brand visibility and unlock new revenue streams through expanded testing capabilities?
Are you curious about direct-to-consumer lab testing and how it might benefit your lab operations?
If the answer to these questions is “yes,” the following webinar with Jenny Bull (COO, Avero Diagnostics) and Adam Carlin (Product Manager, TestDirectly) will serve as a good resource.
During the webinar, Adam showcases several DTC workflows that support all forms of diagnostic testing and patient outreach. Jenny adds insight from the customer's perspective while also commenting on current trends to be aware of.
