Case Study
Leading Molecular Lab Teams with TestDirectly to Provide State-Wide COVID-19 School Surveillance Testing
May 18, 2026
Executive Summary: Originally published on August 10, 2021, this case study explores how a Washington-based molecular diagnostics laboratory leveraged TestDirectly’s direct-to-consumer lab testing platform to implement statewide COVID-19 surveillance testing in schools. The initiative supported pooled testing of up to 25 swabs per specimen to help identify potential outbreaks quickly and efficiently. TestDirectly streamlined patient registration, specimen tracking, and result reporting, enabling turnaround times of less than 24 hours while helping schools operate more safely.
A Partnership to Deliver COVID-19 Surveillance Testing at Scale
This case study details how a leading Washington-based molecular diagnostics laboratory partnered with TestDirectly to power an innovative direct-to-consumer lab testing program tailored for large-scale COVID-19 surveillance testing at the state's Department of Health and numerous school districts. Public health officials praised both the program and the molecular lab software supporting it as vital to maintaining a safe environment for in-person learning at the height of the pandemic.
The laboratory’s general manager commended the efforts of the Department of Health and school administrators for their commitment to creating a safe return to in-person education for students, teachers, and staff.
The direct-to-consumer lab testing initiative invited every school district across the state to participate, providing training, supplies, and logistical support at no cost. In return, participating districts received rapid, accurate testing results that helped support a safer and more stable learning environment for both students and faculty.
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How the Lab’s School Surveillance Testing Program Worked
The Pilot Program
The laboratory initially launched its school surveillance testing initiative in spring 2021 through a pilot program involving a school district with 30 schools and 25,000 students. As part of the pilot, school administrators coordinated the collection of up to 25 individual swabs per specimen tube while adhering to established protocols for labeling, tracking, and privacy protection. The objective was to assess operational efficiency, outbreak detection effectiveness, and result turnaround times before expanding the program statewide.
What Is Surveillance Testing?
Surveillance testing is a public health strategy used to identify potential infectious disease outbreaks by testing a representative portion of a larger group. Rather than focusing on a single individual, the approach evaluates the overall health status of a population, helping schools monitor and respond to potential transmission risks more effectively.
As part of the process, multiple individual samples are combined into a single specimen tube for pooled testing. If the pooled sample tests negative, all individuals within that group are presumed negative. If the result is positive, each individual sample is then tested separately to identify the source of infection.
Program administrators selected pooled testing for the initiative because it provided a faster and more cost-effective method for screening large student and staff populations across school systems.
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TestDirectly’s Role in the Lab’s School Surveillance Testing Program
Streamlined Collection, Testing, and Reporting
The lab used TestDirectly to process and report an average of 5,000 pooled samples per week, consistently delivering results within 24 hours. This partnership visibly improved the speed of collection, testing, and reporting during the pilot program.
The lab's partnership with TestDirectly began in the fall of 2020.
"Our productivity increased substantially, and we handled more specimens efficiently with TestDirectly," said the GM. "It was a timely and reliable solution."
Getting School Administrators and Teachers on Board
The laboratory also received encouraging feedback from participating school administrators, particularly regarding the program’s onboarding experience and operational efficiency. According to the lab’s general manager, the greatest hurdle involved gaining teacher support and helping staff adapt to new routines and procedures.
“Once teacher buy-in was established, the onboarding and training processes moved forward very smoothly,” the GM explained.
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How the TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Portal Improved School Surveillance Testing
An All-in-One Digital Workflow Solution
TestDirectly is a diagnostic lab software solution designed to reduce manual errors and reporting delays by replacing paper-based processes and repetitive administrative tasks with a streamlined and digital clinical lab workflow.
“The TestDirectly platform supports every aspect of direct-to-consumer lab testing, from organized specimen collection and processing to final reporting,” said LigoLab CEO Suren Avunjian. “TestDirectly gives school districts the tools they need while fully supporting clinical laboratories throughout the entire collection, testing, and reporting lifecycle.”
Access Control and Automated Result Delivery
TestDirectly gave administrators the ability to monitor results by facility, staff member, or student population. Automated result reporting also enabled faster communication between school districts and public health officials, supporting more timely and coordinated responses to potential outbreaks.
“We are honored that officials selected us to support this important school surveillance testing initiative,” said Avunjian. “TestDirectly is a powerful yet user-friendly molecular lab software platform that helps direct-to-consumer labs better serve their communities by delivering organized, efficient testing programs designed to reduce and prevent outbreaks.”
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Core Services Included in the TestDirectly Platform
In addition to pooled testing support and other LIS laboratory information system functions, TestDirectly's core services include:
- Patient and family self-registration and scheduling
- Capacity management
- Specimen collection, tracking, and processing
- Laboratory billing support
- Compliance management
- Report generation
- Patient results notification by email and text
- Automated report delivery
- At-home specimen collection
- COVID-19 testing and vaccination verification via QR codes
The TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Solution: Simplified Digital Lab Workflow for Direct-to-Consumer Labs
LigoLab developed TestDirectly as an easy-to-integrate, user-friendly clinical laboratory management platform that helps streamline operations and deliver direct-to-consumer lab testing services more efficiently.
Through its nationwide network of laboratories and collection centers, TestDirectly has supported the collection, testing, and reporting of millions of cases. The platform facilitates testing for COVID-19, sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, allergies, genetic screening, and other diagnostic services.
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Frequently Asked Questions About TestDirectly and COVID-19 School Surveillance Testing
What is COVID-19 school surveillance testing, and how does it work?
School surveillance testing programs use pooled testing to monitor the health of students and staff by routinely screening a portion of the population. Multiple swab samples are combined into a single specimen tube and analyzed together. If the pooled sample returns a negative result, the entire group is considered cleared. If the result is positive, individual diagnostic testing is performed to identify the affected person or persons. This method enables high-volume testing environments to operate more efficiently while reducing overall testing costs.
What is pooled testing, and why was it chosen for this program?
Pooled testing enables laboratories to combine multiple individual specimens into a single batch for analysis, thus making it possible to screen large populations using fewer tests. Laboratories selected this approach for the school surveillance initiative because it offered a highly scalable and cost-efficient solution for conducting rapid, recurring testing across large student and staff populations.
What results did the lab achieve using TestDirectly for school surveillance testing?
The laboratory consistently processed and reported approximately 5,000 pooled specimen samples per week while maintaining turnaround times of less than 24 hours. Initially launched as a pilot involving 30 schools and nearly 25,000 students, it later expanded into a statewide initiative. Public health officials praised the laboratory for its rapid reporting, accuracy, operational effectiveness, and successful scalability.
How did TestDirectly improve the efficiency of the school surveillance testing program?
TestDirectly replaced paper forms and manual processes with a fully digital clinical lab workflow, eliminating human errors and reporting delays. It provided centralized access control, allowing administrators to filter results by facility, staff, or student group, and automatically delivered consumer lab reports to school administrators and public health agencies upon completion.
What core services does TestDirectly provide for direct-to-consumer lab testing programs?
TestDirectly offers patient- and family-initiated self-registration and scheduling, capacity management, specimen collection and tracking, laboratory billing support, compliance management, report generation, automated result notification via email and text, at-home specimen collection support, and COVID-19 testing via QR codes.
Can TestDirectly integrate with an existing laboratory information system?
Yes. The TestDirectly platform integrates seamlessly with all leading laboratory information systems, making it straightforward for labs already using an LIS to add direct-to-consumer lab testing capabilities.
What types of testing does TestDirectly support beyond COVID-19?
TestDirectly supports a wide range of direct-to-consumer lab testing programs, including sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, allergy testing, genetic screenings, and other molecular LIS testing workflows, through its nationwide network of laboratories and collection centers.
