This is a great lecture from TedMed this year from Elizabeth Holmes, the CEO of Theranos which is a new blood testing technology that requires only one drop of blood. Her vision is for everyone to have access to healthcare information, when we need it.
Lab information drives 70 to 80% of all treatments today. She talks about how we can’t order a lab test ourselves 
and she believes this should be a right. When individuals have access to things about their bodies they can begin to change outcomes. Below is a backlink with some additional information.
Theranos On The Road To Expansion and Growth - Changing the Face of Medical Lab Tests, One Small Drop of Blood
Diabetes is one of Holmes big topics here and it makes sense as we all pretty much know this is a disease we can attack and change. Several times she states the timing of access is important, when you need it and when it’s actionable. The company has used Arizona as their test market with placing wellness stores inside Walgreens stores.
Theranos Opens 2 Wellness Centers in Phoenix Walgreens Drug Stores- Express Blood Tests at Half the Cost of What Medicare Pays
In addition as a physician you can sign up to use their mail order services and the costs for the lab tests are around half of what Medicare pays. In addition back to the video she states patients are not compliant because of cost, location to where one needs to go to have a test done, etc. Everyone should be able to know up front what the cost of the lab test is going to be upfront. Theranos is making lab tests possible and affordable. No person should have to go through the fear and pain of not being able to afford a lab test. I know last time I wrote about Theranos I saw a lot of doctors click through to their website.
Further she talks about the process of drawing blood and we all love that with finding the vein but the fear and bruising associated with collecting blood breaks people. Now for some ridiculous news with the company as Becton Dickinson has filed a patent violation with the use of the word “Nanotainer” stating it would be harmed if Theranos can register that name. Meanwhile Becton uses the word “Microtainer” as their trademark, so we are getting stupid here with words.
From the website- New Digital Tools
Since I visited the website, Theranos has updated their digital tools. In addition you can find the Theranos price list here for their lab tests.
“Your results are delivered to your doctor electronically within minutes after our lab completes your tests. Your doctor will also be able to use theranos.md, our secure digital hub that organizes all your results in easy-to-read graphs. When your doctor releases your results, you’ll also be able to see your data through the theranos.me website and mobile apps. All of which helps you and your doctor visualize your health in a whole new, informative way.”
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