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Is having blood tests in grocery stores / pharmacies a newish thing in the US, or it existed for a long time? I lived in the US in 2004-2007, and had blood test

Is having blood tests in grocery stores / pharmacies a newish thing in the US, or it existed for a long time? I lived in the US in 2004-2007, and had blood tests regularly, but it would have never occurred to me to go to a grocery store for one.

rezistik 11y ago
It's Theranos business plan I believe.
empressplay 11y ago
No, the idea of having fast-turnaround blood-tests is the central focus of Theranos, one which it looks more and more likely it's failing to (and will seemingly never) deliver.
Pyxl101 11y ago
No, that's not typical. Blood tests are not usually offered in pharmacies either, and are reserved for clinics and hospitals. Blood tests typically involve needles, privacy, etc. They're the wrong atmosphere for a casual grocery store or pharmacy. Theranos's vision was to make blood tests easier and more accessible by requiring only a finger prick instead of drawing from a vein and by giving results quickly instead of hours or days later from a lab. It sounds like Safeway got on board with that vision as a forward-looking opportunity. If a full panel blood test was as easy as a finger prick, then I could see blood testing going mainstream in the way that Theranos is hoping, and Safeway was hoping, but it all depends on the technology actually working as advertised.
URSpider94 11y ago
Having pharmacies everywhere is becoming A Thing, since many Americans are on monthly prescriptions and it provides another contact point to come into the store. Budget department stores like Target and Wal-Mart have had them for years, grocery stores are just next in line. Value-add services in pharmacies are A Thing. In many places, pharmacists can administer vaccinations, and a lot of stores are adding "minute clinics" where you can go for quick health advice, blood tests, etc. Again, offering these services brings patients into the store where they will likely buy something else, and staffing these locations with nurses, nurse practitioners, or even just pharmacists, undercuts the cost of a visit to a medical doctor.
rasz_pl 11y ago
Thats one of the things that happens in a country without universal healthcare.

rezistik 11y ago

It's Theranos business plan I believe.

empressplay 11y ago

No, the idea of having fast-turnaround blood-tests is the central focus of Theranos, one which it looks more and more likely it's failing to (and will seemingly never) deliver.

Pyxl101 11y ago

No, that's not typical. Blood tests are not usually offered in pharmacies either, and are reserved for clinics and hospitals. Blood tests typically involve needles, privacy, etc. They're the wrong atmosphere for a casual grocery store or pharmacy. Theranos's vision was to make blood tests easier and more accessible by requiring only a finger prick instead of drawing from a vein and by giving results quickly instead of hours or days later from a lab. It sounds like Safeway got on board with that vision as a forward-looking opportunity. If a full panel blood test was as easy as a finger prick, then I could see blood testing going mainstream in the way that Theranos is hoping, and Safeway was hoping, but it all depends on the technology actually working as advertised.

URSpider94 11y ago

Having pharmacies everywhere is becoming A Thing, since many Americans are on monthly prescriptions and it provides another contact point to come into the store. Budget department stores like Target and Wal-Mart have had them for years, grocery stores are just next in line. Value-add services in pharmacies are A Thing. In many places, pharmacists can administer vaccinations, and a lot of stores are adding "minute clinics" where you can go for quick health advice, blood tests, etc. Again, offering these services brings patients into the store where they will likely buy something else, and staffing these locations with nurses, nurse practitioners, or even just pharmacists, undercuts the cost of a visit to a medical doctor.

rasz_pl 11y ago

Thats one of the things that happens in a country without universal healthcare.