Direct to Consumer [D2C] Laboratory Services
Staff Reporters
MyMedLab began as a regional lab provider in Missouri in 1993. The company was created to allow patient-consumers to make informed care choices. In 2004, the company aimed to partner with industry leading providers and the power of the Internet to take the company and its electronic interface national.
Health Information Innovation
According to their website www.MyMedLab.com, this new business model created an innovative approach that dramatically lowered costs and gave patient-consumers direct access to the same health information once only available to doctors. Leveraging more than 20 years of laboratory experience, MyMedLab was able to create one of the first “direct to consumer” [D2C] laboratory services in the country.
Mission
From inception, the mission of MyMedLab was to provide consumer-patients with an affordable and convenient way to privately learn about their health. When combined with an annual exam, their screenings create a foundation for health care of the future, one focused on prevention and early detection.
Smart Patient-Consumers
Smart patient-consumers receive this information privately, outside their permanent medical records, and then share results when it enhances their care. Knowing what is important and what questions to ask maximizes the time and money spent with personal physicians. The MyMedLab process combines transparent pricing with the services of a board certified physician in every state. This unique combination eliminates the cost and inconvenience of a doctor’s visit just to order routine testing. It provides essential physician oversight throughout the entire process while still guaranteeing complete privacy.
Purchased Testing
Testing can be purchased 24 hours a day. Tests are listed both individually and in groups called Wellness Profiles based on age, sex and family history. For patient-consumers with testing ordered by their doctor, MyMedLab provides an easy way to purchase the same testing at a cost 50%-80% less than in their doctor’s office or local hospital lab.
Electronic Medical Records
MyMedLab customers purchase testing online, or by phone, and then visit one of nearly 2,000 local Patient Service Centers (PSC) in their neighborhood. Once samples are drawn, results are securely uploaded to their private personal health record (PHR) within 24-48 Hours. A notification email is sent when results have been released and are ready for review. Patients then simply log into their PHR account at MyMedLab to view their results. Each result includes a brief explanation and a direct link to the National Library of Medicine [NLM] for more detailed result information.
Assessment
Everything done at MyMedLab is designed to put the patient-consumer back in control. Since “knowledge is power in health care”, their vision of the future is to continually introduce new technology and services, to enhance the consumer-patient experience, and to transform the way we all learn about our health.
Conclusion
As always, your thoughts and comments on this Medical Executive-Post are appreciated. Does this D2C laboratory model empower or denigrate the physician-doctor relationship in the era of Health 2.0?
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Filed under: Drugs and Pharma, Health Economics, Information Technology, Research & Development | Tagged: blood tests, laboratory services, medical labs |















Liberate Laboratory Data – Too!
[Power to the Patients]
This doctor, while admittedly not an expert on health IT, is a firm believer in the empowerment of patients to be the driver of their own health decision making.
Accordingly, the whole discussion about lab data being available directly to the patient is of great interest to her. But, it does seem like yet another instance of the two sides coming together not to listen to each other – but to be heard by each other.
And, as we all know, this does not work well for any relationship. So, each side’s view is represented thusly:
http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2011/09/22/why-patient-lab-data-should-be-liberated/
Dr. Margaret
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