5 ms·

This is like 10x the cost of other hsCRP tests you can take from home. Pretty hard to justify the cost differential. Also, going to a proper doctor and having

This is like 10x the cost of other hsCRP tests you can take from home. Pretty hard to justify the cost differential. Also, going to a proper doctor and having a real blood test done once a year would cost way less than this.

mritchie712 4y ago
> proper doctor and having a real blood test done once a year would cost way less than this. how much is that?
- muschellij2 4y ago
  Most insurance plans see this as preventative care to get bloodwork done when you're doing your wellness visit, so, if you have insurance, $0 out of pocket.
  - Snehpatel1 4y ago
    In my experience, some doctors won't order hsCRP (the marker we measure) for everyone. If they do, I think it would be rare for insurance to cover it multiple times per year.
    - metadat 4y ago
      Why do we need it multiple times per year? Maybe that's the part that needs to change, so as many people as possible have access to the data?
      - Snehpatel1 4y ago
        The idea is that by testing multiple times per year, you get more insight into what may be driving your levels and be able to intervene sooner
        deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
- Grimburger 4y ago
  Not sure about other countries but this is completely free in Australia. It's a general consult and bulk-billed onto medicare. I get an annual blood test done, even if not in the country, have paid $30 in Europe and $20 in Asia as a foreigner, isn't even worth bothering to claim on overseas health insurance.
  - SyneRyder 4y ago
    That seems correct to me. I tried to look up the costs in Australia and I think this is the Medicare Benefits Schedule for it (ie C-reactive protein), though I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong: http://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=66500&qt=item http://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=66... If correct, it seems the cost to the taxpayer is $9.70 AUD (about $6.67 US). So even without bulk-billing making it free here, that's still a 10x markup.
    - Snehpatel1 4y ago
      Thanks for this info, particularly as we look to expand internationally :) Our price includes lab costs but also the cost of the packaging, shipping, ordering physician, etc. which all starts to add up! We decided to start with at home kits for the convenience but are planning to explore other methods of measuring levels (e.g., partnering with physical labs) Edit: I should also add that costs/prices typically start higher with startups and we fully expect them to come down as we scale.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
Snehpatel1 4y ago
I believe our prices are in line with other at home tests. Would you mind sharing any links you have that have pricing 10x lower? I'd love to look into it and see if we can bring our costs down for our customers!
- lxe 4y ago
  I found this one https://www.ultalabtests.com/test/cardio-iq-hs-crp https://www.ultalabtests.com/test/cardio-iq-hs-crp for $30 something. Usually they are anywhere between $50 and $90 on everlywell and letsgetchecked I think. You're right on the money at $74 I think but I will steer clear due to this $60/year digital platform subscription that kicks off after year 1.
  - Snehpatel1 4y ago
    We made it optional to auto-renew the subscription. Hope you give us a try!
unmole 4y ago
I'm obviously not in the target market but apparently I can get the test for 450 INR or 5.65 USD. This is includes a trained phlebotomist coming to my house to take the sample: https://www.1mg.com/labs/test/High-Sensitive-CRP-2274 https://www.1mg.com/labs/test/High-Sensitive-CRP-2274
- Snehpatel1 4y ago
  This is helpful to know as we look into international expansion. Our current pricing is in the US market. Hopefully, costs decrease over here over time!
pirate787 4y ago
The whole point is that the test is part of a system to put the results in context, more frequently that an annual visit. My doctor isn't very good and has never brought up or tested me for this.
gurjeet 4y ago
Some quick research shows these tests can be ordered by the patients, themselves, for ~$60, so the same as the disccounted/offer price here. LabCorp: https://www.ondemand.labcorp.com/lab-tests/inflammation-hs-crp-test https://www.ondemand.labcorp.com/lab-tests/inflammation-hs-c... Quest: https://questdirect.questdiagnostics.com/products/crp-inflammation-marker-test https://questdirect.questdiagnostics.com/products/crp-inflam...
sdwr 4y ago
Not going to argue with the price, but monthly / biweekly / weekly testing is way different than once a year. Yearly is enough to get an overall sense of where you are at, biweekly lets you correlate w/ much more fine-grained signals. Plus it keeps the score in your head as a goal.

mritchie712 4y ago

> proper doctor and having a real blood test done once a year would cost way less than this. how much is that?

muschellij2 4y ago
Most insurance plans see this as preventative care to get bloodwork done when you're doing your wellness visit, so, if you have insurance, $0 out of pocket.
- Snehpatel1 4y ago
  In my experience, some doctors won't order hsCRP (the marker we measure) for everyone. If they do, I think it would be rare for insurance to cover it multiple times per year.
  - metadat 4y ago
    Why do we need it multiple times per year? Maybe that's the part that needs to change, so as many people as possible have access to the data?
    - Snehpatel1 4y ago
      The idea is that by testing multiple times per year, you get more insight into what may be driving your levels and be able to intervene sooner
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
Grimburger 4y ago
Not sure about other countries but this is completely free in Australia. It's a general consult and bulk-billed onto medicare. I get an annual blood test done, even if not in the country, have paid $30 in Europe and $20 in Asia as a foreigner, isn't even worth bothering to claim on overseas health insurance.
- SyneRyder 4y ago
  That seems correct to me. I tried to look up the costs in Australia and I think this is the Medicare Benefits Schedule for it (ie C-reactive protein), though I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong: http://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=66500&qt=item http://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=66... If correct, it seems the cost to the taxpayer is $9.70 AUD (about $6.67 US). So even without bulk-billing making it free here, that's still a 10x markup.
  - Snehpatel1 4y ago
    Thanks for this info, particularly as we look to expand internationally :) Our price includes lab costs but also the cost of the packaging, shipping, ordering physician, etc. which all starts to add up! We decided to start with at home kits for the convenience but are planning to explore other methods of measuring levels (e.g., partnering with physical labs) Edit: I should also add that costs/prices typically start higher with startups and we fully expect them to come down as we scale.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]

Snehpatel1 4y ago

I believe our prices are in line with other at home tests. Would you mind sharing any links you have that have pricing 10x lower? I'd love to look into it and see if we can bring our costs down for our customers!

lxe 4y ago
I found this one https://www.ultalabtests.com/test/cardio-iq-hs-crp https://www.ultalabtests.com/test/cardio-iq-hs-crp for $30 something. Usually they are anywhere between $50 and $90 on everlywell and letsgetchecked I think. You're right on the money at $74 I think but I will steer clear due to this $60/year digital platform subscription that kicks off after year 1.
- Snehpatel1 4y ago
  We made it optional to auto-renew the subscription. Hope you give us a try!

unmole 4y ago

I'm obviously not in the target market but apparently I can get the test for 450 INR or 5.65 USD. This is includes a trained phlebotomist coming to my house to take the sample: https://www.1mg.com/labs/test/High-Sensitive-CRP-2274 https://www.1mg.com/labs/test/High-Sensitive-CRP-2274

Snehpatel1 4y ago
This is helpful to know as we look into international expansion. Our current pricing is in the US market. Hopefully, costs decrease over here over time!

pirate787 4y ago

The whole point is that the test is part of a system to put the results in context, more frequently that an annual visit. My doctor isn't very good and has never brought up or tested me for this.

gurjeet 4y ago

Some quick research shows these tests can be ordered by the patients, themselves, for ~$60, so the same as the disccounted/offer price here. LabCorp: https://www.ondemand.labcorp.com/lab-tests/inflammation-hs-crp-test https://www.ondemand.labcorp.com/lab-tests/inflammation-hs-c... Quest: https://questdirect.questdiagnostics.com/products/crp-inflammation-marker-test https://questdirect.questdiagnostics.com/products/crp-inflam...

sdwr 4y ago

Not going to argue with the price, but monthly / biweekly / weekly testing is way different than once a year. Yearly is enough to get an overall sense of where you are at, biweekly lets you correlate w/ much more fine-grained signals. Plus it keeps the score in your head as a goal.