Chronic conditions and ongoing illnesses such as long Covid are on the rise across the United States; they’re being referred to as “silent pandemics” by the CDC. Naturally, to narrow down possible diagnoses, physicians have begun utilizing diagnostic tests even more than usual. With testing volume higher than ever before, the healthcare industry must focus on accessibility. It can be difficult for patients in need to get a referral to see a doctor, to travel to them, and to understand their testing results once they finally receive a copy. It’s an inefficient process that creates multiple barriers to access and the free flow of information– how did we get to this point?
The number of patients requiring treatment continues to rise worldwide and the burden on the healthcare system is increasing. Providers are burnt out, retiring in droves and replacements are seemingly scarce. This leaves many patients with little guidance on how to receive care as well as incredibly long wait times to see their doctors. In an increasingly fast-paced world, this is a problem. Patients are able to access vast amounts of healthcare information with a quick swipe on their phone, but not all of it is trustworthy or accurate. Getting testing outside of a doctor’s office is, in most places, not feasible. The public is left with shoddy information, and no avenues of accessing basic primary care or diagnostics without struggle.
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Pharmacies can change this. While they’ve always served as hubs for medication and other basic necessities, now is the time to innovate and remove the burden from the healthcare system. It’s time for pharmacies to become central locations for all things health and wellness– diagnostics included.
Pharmacies are already beginning to transform themselves into the epicenter of care for communities by bringing diagnostics to their retail locations. Pharmacies are helping alleviate this issue by partnering with medical platforms and organizations that help them bolster the services that they can provide to patients. In the UK, the NHS faces similar problems. In response, they’ve begun the Pharmacy Integration Programme in order to bring basic urgent care and testing into pharmacies. This model has already found success and makes pharmacists the first point of contact for care and treatment.
With these enhancements comes the introduction of new and improved technology and processes. By integrating with Diagnostics as a Service (DaaS) platforms, pharmacies can create a more personalized patient-centered style of care. This enables patients to be more aware of current health benchmarks, such as general heart health and allows them to make informed decisions for themselves. These platforms provide clear results to patients and providers, giving the patient clear next steps in terms of referrals and additional testing. Providers also gain increased direct access to patients as most DaaS platforms leverage the use of asynchronous meeting options with patients, including communication through text, instant messaging, and secure apps. In addition to patients being able to get more information faster, they will also be able to form closer relationships with their physicians to create a personalized healthcare plan.
The biggest challenge will be in supporting traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacies that will need to develop a central depository for scheduling, ordering, and prescribing testing. To improve this, pharmacies will need to continue on the journey of digitizing their work and integrating into lab networks to improve workflow and efficiency.
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The pharmaceutical industry rapidly transformed in 2022 with more traditional retail stores shifting to become full-fledged care centers. Patients are becoming more knowledgeable about their needs and are taking back control of their health as accessibility to care improves. With chronic conditions rising and acquisitions continuing to pop up in the pharmacy space, the time to adopt is now. The next wave of biologics is already coming, thanks to increased interest in vaccine providers. These developments will only continue to improve pharmacies and how they are utilized by the public.
Photo: Ridofranz, Getty Images
Tom is the co-founder and CEO of Hurdle, a DaaS platform, responsible for leading the science that supplies a variety of at-home testing options to healthcare organizations including providers, labs, health plans, and pharmacies. He is an MIT Technology Review Innovator under 35 and founded Hurdle in 2017 with the goal of increasing accessibility of care for all and improving the medical decision-making process for providers. Tom continues to be passionate about bringing remote diagnostic testing with industry-leading processing rates in order to quickly deliver accurate results to patients across the globe.
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