Lab and diagnostics
Point-of-care testing – like healthcare itself – never stands still. Repertoire quizzed Jonathan Overbey, director of corporate accounts for Sekisui Diagnostics, about the near-term (five-year) future of point-of-care testing in the physician office, post-acute care setting, hospital/health system, and retail clinics/urgent care/community care clinics. He responded via email.
Repertoire: In the next five years, what do you think will be the most important technological development in point-of-care testing?
Jonathan Overbey: 1) Faster and less expensive molecular tests for “one and done” results; 2) decentralized care for near-patient testing; and 3) smaller amount of blood needed for more CLIA-waived tests.
Repertoire: How about regulatory/legislative developments?
Overbey: Bills will be passed to allow more at-home testing and more CLIA-waived tests for more disease states. In addition, more CLIA-waived tests will be available for clinics or pharmacists.
Repertoire: And patient-related developments, such as changing demographics, preponderant disease states, consumerism?
Overbey: 1) More testing and treatments done at home or away from the hospital or doctor’s office; 2) consumers taking charge of their healthcare needs at home or at their pharmacy; and 3) more self-diagnosis and treatments by healthcare providers other than doctors – e.g., physician assistants, nurses, etc.
Repertoire: In the next five years, what do you think will be the most important provider-related development (e.g., provider consolidation, staffing issues, telemedicine, etc.) affecting point-of-care testing?
Overbey: Suppliers such as Amazon, eBay, etc., will ship directly to physician office labs and end users. More retail clinics/ pharmacies will be seeing and treating patients. Hospitals will be used for trauma or surgeries. All others will be treated through less expensive locations or at home. Channels will be blended; no longer one cost for a system and another for a physician office lab. One price for all channels. Hospitals and IDNs will demand one price for all locations.
Repertoire: In order to be successful in the future, what’s the most important thing a distributor rep should do?
Overbey: Sell and consult directly to the patient through social media. Build your brand as you do your company. Call on non-traditional sites like retail clinics/pharmacies. Adopt “prime” customer shipping/delivery to patient homes. Train/consult on office efficiencies and productivity.