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To me, one of the sad things about the Theranos debacle is that even if they DON'T have super whiz-bang nanotainer technology, the general model of having affor
by adevine 11y ago
To me, one of the sad things about the Theranos debacle is that even if they DON'T have super whiz-bang nanotainer technology, the general model of having affordable, transparently priced tests where you can just walk into a Walgreen's and order them is pretty awesome in my opinion.
There are other companies that offer something somewhat similar (e.g. AnyLabTestNow), but the experience still sucks - locations/times are nowhere near as convenient as your local drug store, and the tests are expensive. I don't know how much Theranos' price reduction is dependent on its nanotainer tech, but if someone came in and offered an affordable service like CVS's minute clinics, but for tests, I'd use it, even if they had to do normal draws.
- sandGorgon 11y agoIs this something innovative? In india, i just paid 90$ and got 14 different tests including tumor markers tested for. The blood was collected at home (and then sent to a central testing facility). Unless, it is radically new technology... I'm curious on the value proposition here.
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- firasd 11y agoYes, the customer-friendly blood testing in India would be incredibly "disruptive" to American lab tests. Not only does the US have different costs and regulations but the medical industry is based on extracting money from insurance companies so every process is a bit occluded. That said, Theranos is still on the hook because a business model innovation would probably not justify their valuation and PR compared to a tech innovation.
- adevine 11y agoIf it were just a business model innovation, Theranos would rightly be worth nothing, because they wouldn't bring anything to the table. CVS or Walgreen's have all the assets that would be worth anything in this situation.
- pavel_lishin 11y agoI wonder if it would be feasible to collect blood in the United States and ship it to India for testing.
- TTPrograms 11y agoThe blood was collected at home? As in the patients draw vials of their own blood?
- sandGorgon 11y agono - there's a dude who comes with this very interesting sealed testtube (with a rubber seal on top) and a kind of gel inside. He takes the blood out (labor is cheap in India!) You have to remember that Delhi easily exceeds 115 degrees fahrenheit in summer. this gel is supposed to stabilize the blood for upto 48 hours and it is shipped across the country to Mumbai where there is this massive test lab which does all the tests I have paid for.
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- icelancer 11y agoIs there ANYTHING like this? Been searching casually for it but no luck. Would love any leads on this.
- firasd 11y agoNo personal experience but I've seen some things online: wellnessfx.com and directlabs.com
- adevine 11y agohttps://www.anylabtestnow.com https://www.anylabtestnow.com. Unfortunately, the tests are quite expensive. I believe they need to basically get a BS prescription for the tests, which adds to the expense. Theranos specifically lobbied Arizona to get the law changed so that consumers could order their own tests. I hope other states follow suit, and I hope the Theranos drama doesn't make other states think this is a bad idea.
- icelancer 11y agoYeah, these tests are way too expensive. Ugh.
- dpim 11y agoIn a previous Theranos thread, someone made the comment that there are dangers to allowing consumers to access tests and test data without interpretation or prescription by a doctor. Results can be misleading without context and could lead to rash and adverse health decisions. Not sure if I agree 100%, but it seems like a valid concern.
- beagle3 11y agoThere is no reason to speculate - just compare to countries that have these. in many countries, you can get almost any test you want without a doctor. There are very few tests that require a doctor or trained professional to give you the results (hiv, hep-c) - essentially those with prognosis (whether real or perceived) that has grim future. You CAN still do the tests on your own in these cases, but not directly get the results. It is all about the money, no other concern. The same as it is illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey "because safety". It would be a valid concern unless every other place in the world had already shown it isn't one. For some reason, it is considered impolite in American politics to consider other places' experience.