Imagine if patients could go to their computers, click on a medical-services Web site and order their own blood work or liver function test. They would then report to a clinic to have the necessary work done, and later read the results online. The tests were ordered and carried out with no physician involvement.
Imagine no more, because direct access testing (DAT) is the newest development to hit the online medical-services industry. With $40 billion being spent on lab tests in the US every year, it's little wonder companies are trying to seek some of this business online.
Last February, Quest Diagnostics, Inc., the world's largest laboratory company, received permission from 4 US states to open storefront clinics. Its Quest Test system (www.questest.com) then allowed customers to order their own tests, go to a company clinic to get blood drawn, and then get the results online without ever seeing a doctor. As Ken Freeman, the company's chair and CEO, states, its goal is to “teach you about taking control of your most important asset — your health.”
At the site, customers are presented with several options; at the “e-commerce” side, for instance, a secure transaction window appears with a list of tests that can be purchased. Each test is described and a price is displayed. The test can then be added to the patient's “shopping cart,” and at the end of the shopping session the bill is paid via credit card. (In October the company was offering $5 off a liver health panel in support of National Liver Awareness Month.)
Other sites sell home test kits. Craig Medical Diagnostic Tests (www.craigmedical.com) sells home-use medical tests; customers can order everything from ovulation prediction kits to home urinalysis tests. The test packages are mailed to the buyer. Home Medical Tests Mall (www.homemedicaltestsmall.com) offers a similar service.
Canadians can already buy test packages from the last 2 companies, but regulations currently restrict the sale of full DAT services. It may be only a matter of time before that changes.