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Telehealth Testing and Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Give Patients a Prominent Seat at the Healthcare Table
July 31, 2025
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on March 25, 2022.
Whether people are becoming more proactive about their healthcare or simply seeking convenience, it’s not entirely clear. But the fact remains that the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era for telehealth testing and other remote-enabled healthcare technologies.
A McKinsey & Company article supports this, stating that use of telehealth testing services rose dramatically during the pandemic and has since stabilized at levels nearly 40 percent higher than pre-COVID levels.
For many, telehealth testing has opened the door to healthcare options that were previously unavailable, and advocates are hoping the trend continues to flourish well beyond the pandemic. The reason for this is that telehealth testing holds the promise of better health equity by removing barriers to care for many underserved people and communities.
For example, people without transportation or in rural areas can now easily consult with a physician or other healthcare professional thanks to telehealth.
Going forward, what does telehealth’s evolution mean for molecular, clinical, and anatomic pathology laboratories and the patients they serve?
Let’s examine the possibilities here.
The Growing Importance of Laboratory Testing
With advances in technology and the maturing of evidence-based medicine, clinical labs have become an integral part of the overall healthcare package. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70 percent of today’s medical decisions depend on laboratory test results.
In many cases, proper diagnosis requires confirmation from a lab, while other tests help rule out certain conditions. As such, much of healthcare now relies heavily on laboratory testing.
This dynamic has even given rise to an entirely new practice: evidence-based laboratory medicine (EBLM).
Evidence-based laboratory medicine is a branch of medicine that evaluates and uses laboratory tests to improve patient outcomes. But at the intersection of EBLM and telehealth sits an interesting dilemma.
How do people who are not receiving in-person care initiate lab work?
“The emergence of evidence-based laboratory medicine combined with the growing use of telehealth has given rise to a relatively new workflow for labs, direct-to-consumer lab testing,” said LigoLab CEO Suren Avunjian.
While physicians typically order lab tests, Avunjian noted that direct-to-consumer lab testing empowers individuals to take a more active role in understanding their health. That said, he emphasized the importance of consulting qualified healthcare providers when making any health-related decisions.
Discover More: How the Future of Healthcare Innovation is Being Shaped Today
What is Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing?
Direct-to-consumer lab testing (DTC) is when a patient orders a lab test and receives results directly, bypassing the need for a physician or the traditional healthcare system. This approach typically delivers faster results at a lower cost, making it an appealing choice for proactive, health-minded consumers.
While direct-to-consumer lab testing isn’t the best option for every type of lab test, it can be a convenient and effective tool for monitoring chronic conditions, screening for infectious diseases, identifying unknown medical issues, or simply gaining a better understanding of one’s overall health. By removing barriers, DTC testing empowers individuals to take greater control of their healthcare journey.
However, interpreting lab results isn’t always straightforward. Many consumers will still require professional guidance to fully understand their test results and how to act on them. That’s where clinical laboratories play a crucial role, not just in delivering accurate results, but also in supporting patient education and follow-up care.
It’s also important to note that federal and state agencies regulate direct-to-consumer lab testing in the U.S., and consumers should always work with a CLIA-certified lab.
The Fight for Consumer Access to Laboratory Testing
The healthcare industry is experiencing a significant transformation, driven by growing consumer demand for greater involvement in their care.
Today’s patients increasingly expect direct access to their personal health information, including lab test results. In the past, regulations limited both the ordering of tests and the release of results to physicians, but those restrictions are quickly giving way to a more patient-centered approach.
Today, most states allow consumers to order some (or all) of their laboratory tests directly without the involvement of a physician. At the federal level, the government now requires that labs provide individuals with access to their test data upon request.
All of this has made patient-initiated testing possible. There’s still work to be done, however, to give more consumers a voice in decisions that impact their healthcare.
“Not that long ago, people were required to visit a healthcare provider for lab testing, and they also had to wait for long periods to get results,” said Avunjian. “Today, consumers can order laboratory services online and have their sample collected at a local testing center, or their home. The test results from these samples can then be accessed within days, not weeks, and securely viewed online via patient portals like our TestDirectly offering.”
Discover More: Highlighting the Versatility of the TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Portal
Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Concerns
There is no doubt; consumer-directed testing can provide valuable health information in a timely and convenient manner. That said, some providers and policymakers still feel that some direct-to-consumer lab testing is of questionable quality and value, particularly those offered in non-traditional settings. Additionally, there has been debate regarding whether consumers have enough knowledge and experience to make sound decisions based on their test results.
Direct-to-consumer lab testing sites can put this to rest by meeting regulatory requirements and employing qualified individuals who can answer consumers’ questions and help alleviate many of these concerns.
“As direct-to-consumer lab testing continues expanding, patients need to educate themselves about testing quality and the credentials of the personnel performing the tests,” said Avunjian. “They should always consult with a CLIA-certified lab and not be afraid to ask questions.”
On-Demand Webinar: Learn How to Expand Your Lab’s Services and Add Revenue with Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing
The Best Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Platforms
Innovative pathology lab software platforms, such as LigoLab’s TestDirectly direct-to-consumer lab testing portal, are the key to best-in-class DTC testing. TestDirectly is a user-friendly patient engagement diagnostic lab software platform that enables healthcare organizations to scale services by increasing testing accessibility, providing better service, and delivering faster and more convenient reporting.
The TestDirectly platform is HIPAA compliant, integrates with all laboratory software systems (including electronic health records, laboratory information systems, and laboratory billing systems), and removes many labor-intensive aspects of patient-initiated and organizational testing.
The efficiencies created by the platform empower direct-to-consumer labs to process testing more easily and efficiently (with enhanced TestDirectly results time).
“Whether you’re a lab manager or a health system, enabling direct-to-consumer lab testing from the ground up is extremely difficult,” said Avunjian. “With TestDirectly, we offer a proven turn-key pathology software engagement solution that can quickly become the centerpiece of any DTC testing program. We make it easy for labs of all sizes to scale and shift their services as needed.”
LigoLab introduced the TestDirectly direct-to-consumer lab testing portal in 2020 as an innovative pathology report software to help medical laboratories and first-care facilities (such as specimen collection centers, urgent care centers, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, etc.) connect directly with their patients and staff for COVID-19 testing.
Since then, providers have leveraged the TestDirectly platform to simplify and automate various other DTC lab tests and workflows as well (such as sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, allergy testing, and genetic screening). The platform supports every potential clinical lab workflow for direct-to-consumer lab testing. It covers the complete lifecycle of a case and the specimen associated with it.
Discover More: Expand Laboratory Services to the Home and Improve Patient Engagement with New Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Business Models
Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing and Lab Professionals
One of the most important things for consumers to keep in mind is that “patient-initiated” doesn’t mean “without a lab professional’s help.”
Some testing can indeed be conducted (and results read) without a physician or lab. However, a lab is required for most specimen testing and reporting work. This is because laboratories have the specialized equipment needed for most medical tests, and they fully understand what lab reports and test results mean.
“Lab reports are designed to provide information to highly trained healthcare providers in a simplified format, which reads a lot like code,” added Avunjian. “Because of this, an individual consumer will have a hard time fully understanding their test results and might not be able to determine the appropriate next steps.”
Labs have an essential role in the direct-to-consumer lab testing process. Not only are they there to process lab tests, but their expertise is also needed to help educate consumers about the benefits and limitations associated with the tests they are taking.
Moreover, lab technicians play an important role in interpreting test results and can guide on whether additional testing is required or a physician’s care is needed. In summary, even as direct-to-consumer lab testing becomes more accessible, a lab’s expertise will always be in demand.
Learn More About TestDirectly and TestDirectly.com
TestDirectly is an easy-to-use direct-to-consumer lab testing portal that provides turn-key point-of-care testing solutions while connecting laboratories and collection centers with patients and physicians.
TestDirectly eliminates common bottlenecks with laboratory workflow management solutions, such as self-service registration and automated results delivery. It also features powerful automation that supports the collection and processing of specimens, the customization and delivery of consumer lab reports, and the management of both payment and compliance, all while also delivering a better, unified, and safer patient experience.
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